Cleanup on Aisle 2
by butterflyswest
Summary: Sequel to Cereal Aisle. Ray and Neela are about to start their lives together as husband and wife, but life throws some curves at them at the most unexpected moments.
1. Chapter 1

_For those of you who know us welland have read our stories since the beginning, you know where this story is coming from. For those of you who are new to this, or haven't read any of our work before, we'll give you a little introduction. This story is actually a sequel to our first story, "Cereal Aisle". A lot of people who have read that one asked if there would be a continuation. We originally weren't going to do one, but then we saw the infinite possibilities of doing a sequel. We will say, that if you have not read "Cereal Aisle" as yet, then you should before you read this one. There are references to that story that will not be understood unless the first one is read._

_On that note, we give you Chapter One, of "Cleanup on Aisle 2". We hope you will tell us what you think of it._

_Yours, as always,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

"I'm going to look like a whale," she said as she surveyed her form in the mirror. She turned to the side, trying to see the back. Not that she needed to worry about the back of the sari. The problem would come when she walked...or rather, waddled down the aisle. "I cannot believe he talked me into getting married before this baby is born."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"First, you are not going to look like a whale," she said, trying to sound reassuring. She would never say that it was the first thought that had popped into her head when Neela had disclosed her wedding date. Neela was only four months along and was already showing. Before much longer, she was going to be as big as a barn. "Second, wouldn't you rather be married before the baby's born? It's not like you don't already live together, help him raise his sister, clean up after him..."

"I did all that before he asked me to marry him," she said distractedly with all the sarcasm she could muster. "I just don't understand why we couldn't have waited until after the birth."

"Maybe he just wants to have it done before the real craziness starts," Abby said. "Do you really want to plan a wedding while taking care of a newborn?"

Neela went cold at the thought. No, she definitely did not. She had enough trouble trying to get things together with her work schedule, Emily's school schedule, Ray's unexpected gig schedules, and Brett's surprise inspections of their refrigerator. She would say one thing. The fridge was always clean after he left. And empty.

"No, I don't want to plan a wedding and take care of a newborn. I have enough trouble with the children in my house." She looked at her reflection in the mirror again and sighed. "I think this will do. I can't very well ask my mother if I can wear hers." She caught her breath and bit her lip, cursing silently for saying anything. She glanced at Abby who was frowning slightly.

"Why can't you ask your mother?"

"Abby, I..."

Abby's face went white, and her mouth dropped open in shocked realization.

"You haven't told them."

"Abby..."

"How can you not have told them?" her friend demanded. "This isn't exactly something that you can keep from them for long. One of these days they're going to wonder why you're showing up to the family reunion with a kid and husband in tow."

"I know," Neela said sadly. "It's just...well, you know how they are, Abby! First of all, they won't accept Ray. Ever. They just want me to marry a nice Indian man and raise nice Indian babies. Second, I'm pregnant. Out of wedlock. My father will die of shame. My mother will too, but only after she kills me."

"So, what are you going to do?" Abby asked sharply. "Wait until after the wedding and the baby's born to say anything? Just go home and say, 'By the way, Mom...Dad...this is my husband, Ray. Oh, yeah, and did I mention that this little screaming bundle over here is your grandkid? Come on, Neela."

Neela grimaced.

"When you put it that way, it sounds so..."

"Stupid?"

Neela turned a sardonic look on her friend before she started to remove the sari.

"It's complicated, Abby."

Abby frowned, and helped her pull the silk over her head.

"What's complicated about it? You have to tell them at some point." She paused and gave Neela a hard look. "Does Ray know that you haven't told them?"

She rolled her eyes when she saw the confirmation in Neela's face.

"Christ, Neela! You have to tell him."

"I know," she sighed. "It's just so hard."

Abby blew out a breath. "You would think that after what happened with his father you would have learned a lesson."

That was a low blow, and Abby knew it. She was one of the few that knew the real reasons behind Emily's move to Chicago. Their father had been nothing but cruel to both of them their entire lives. Neela had seen firsthand how lies and deception could destroy a family. Ray and Emily were living proof of it. She knew her deception would hurt. She wanted to tell Abby that she was holding back telling her family because she wanted to protect him from her family's rejection, but the fact of the matter was, she was afraid. She was afraid that if she told them before the wedding, that they would find a way to ruin it, to stop it somehow. She didn't want anything to destroy the happiness that she had found, least of all her family.

"I know that I have to tell him," she said as she began to dress. "I just don't want anything to ruin this."

"You think your parents will try..."

"I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past them."

Abby's frown deepened.

"Still, you have to talk to Ray about it. He needs to know."

Neela sighed heavily. "I'll talk to him tonight," she said grudgingly. "But I don't have to like it."

"No, you don't."

Neela rolled her eyes, and pulled her pants on over her hips. Abby laughed when she cursed, unable to fasten the button.

"Bollocks! I can't believe that I've gotten this big already!"

They walked from the dressing room and went up front to pay for the sari. Neela rubbed the material between her fingers and smiled. She'd been overjoyed when Ray had given her no objection to wearing red at her wedding. She'd laughed almost until she'd cried at what he had told her when she'd suggested it.

_I don't care if you show up naked just as long as you show up._

It had told her volumes about how much he loved her and wanted to marry her. She paid for the sari, a huge grin on her face, and the girl at the counter offered a tentative smile in return. She took her wrapped purchase and tucked it under her arm as they left the boutique.

"So when do you see the doctor next?" Abby asked.

"Next week. He thinks I'm gaining too much weight."

"How much have you gained?"

Neela shot her a scowl, and Abby laughed, holding up her hands.

"Sorry. Don't kill me. Is he worried?"

"Only about gestational diabetes. He says that it's not really a concern at the moment, but I really need to watch myself."

"And what about morning sickness? Is that all gone too."

Neela started laughing, and had to stop walking. She doubled up, shaking her head at Abby when her friend looked at her as if she had gone insane.

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to choke out. "It's just that...I didn't really get sick. Not like I've heard from other people that I would."

"Really?"

Neela grinned and started walking.

"Now Ray on the other hand... he threw up every morning until last month."

Abby gave her an incredulous look and started laughing.

"You're kidding, right? He never said a word!"

"You really think he would?" Neela shot back. "He has a reputation to uphold, you know."

"Right, a reputation. The man who won't voluntarily get a flu shot has a reputation."

Neela couldn't help but laugh at that. Ray's aversion to needles was legendary by now much to his chagrin. She had tried to tell him that it added to his boyish charm, but he only scowled at her and ignored her as she laughed.

Neela could still hardly believe that she was about to marry him. They had come so far from what they once had been. She never would have thought that being with Ray would prove to be the best choice she had ever made. Nothing else could compare with the way he made her feel. After the nightmare that they had gone through with his father, she had worried for a time that after the stress of the situation had worn off, Ray would realize that he really didn't love her, that being with her was a mistake. But he'd proven over and over how much he really did love her, and she loved him more and more every day. With each burning look, with each almost wondering smile, she fell a little more in love with him.

She didn't even mind Brett much anymore.

"How's the new apartment?"

Neela shook off her thoughts and focused again on Abby.

"What?"

"The apartment? How do you like it?"

Neela grimaced. They had gone searching for a new apartment when everything was finalized with Emily. It was immediately apparent that there would not be room in their little two bedroom flat for all of them once the baby came. She knew firsthand how hard it was to find an apartment in Chicago, and hadn't enjoyed the experience again. Once they had found one they liked, there was the question of rent, utilities, and Brett's eating habits to consider. She missed the old apartment, even if it had been impractical.

"I'm still getting used to it. It's not the same."

"No, but it's got to be more room."

"Not with Brett coming by every other day. He's worse than Ray."

"He can't be that bad."

"Close. I don't understand how two grown men can make such a mess. Emily at least picks up after herself, and she's only fourteen."

Abby shot her a sideways look. "How is she adjusting?"

"As well as can be expected," she said slowly. "She's still getting used to the idea that she won't be snatched away and hauled back to Philadelphia."

"And school? She's back now, right?"

"She's doing well. She's made some friends, and they're helping more than anything. Carter offered to help with a private school, but we thought that this would be better for her. Let her make a fresh start." Neela glanced at her watch. "Speaking of Emily. I have to get home. She'll be home from school soon."

Abby nodded. "I do too. Luka and I are having dinner tonight."

Neela grinned.

"Stop looking at me like that," Abby snapped, her face going red. "It's just dinner."

"Dinner leads to other things," Neela said.

"So does moving in," Abby retorted. "Look where it got you."

Neela laughed, unable to deny it. "I'm rather happy with where it got me."

Abby scowled good naturedly, then grinned.

"I'll talk to you later. Are you on duty tomorrow?"

"Yes. We'll continue this then." Neela turned and started for the El station. "I want details on your date, too," she said over her shoulder and laughed when Abby only growled.

She made her way to the El and fought her way through the early afternoon rush. She nearly snapped the head off someone who was jostled into her, but bit her tongue at the last moment. Pregnancy had made her so emotional that it was a wonder to her some days that Ray just didn't chuck it all in and run. She cried at the drop of a hat at anything from credit card commercials to travel ads. She'd almost come unglued when she had ruined dinner one evening. Ray had just taken it in stride and ordered Chinese, tossing the blackened remains of the roast into the trash. She couldn't help but smile at the memory. She had always been the rational one, the girl that didn't let her emotions rule her. Now she was the one who was perpetually spouting off when there was no reason, and Ray was the one who tried to make her see reason. It was laughable really when she thought about it, but it made her see another side of him. His patience alone had gotten them through the first few months of her pregnancy.

Still smiling, she followed the wave of people that flowed from the El into the station. It was a four-block walk to their apartment, and she was grateful that it was spring. She was really going to hate to walk like this in the winter, but there was nothing for it. The apartment was perfect for their needs and in their price range. They weren't going to find any better anytime soon.

Ray was happy at any rate. It was closer to Emily's school so that she could walk without trouble, and the neighborhood was nicer. The elevator worked all the time instead of only when it felt like it, and the super was overjoyed to have doctors living in his building. At least he had been until the first time Ray had invited his band mates over. Neela smiled, then laughed. That had been a rude awakening for the entire floor. Literally. They had rocked well into the early morning hours, earning pounding on the door from the neighbors, the super, and finally the police. Only then had they toned it down…for all of five minutes.

Neela laughed as she pulled open the door to the building and stepped inside. The super stuck his head from his apartment and gave her a long-suffering look. She smiled and waved in an attempt to soften that look, but he pulled his head back into his apartment and shut the door. She couldn't help but chuckle. He'd quickly gone from happy to wishing that he'd never set eyes on them. It hadn't taken long.

She took the elevator to their floor, and breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped off. She was tired. She tired so easily since she'd gotten pregnant. As a doctor, she knew that it was normal, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. Today, however, she knew that that wasn't the sum of it. Her mind returned to Abby, and she shook her head. She knew that Abby was right. She needed to tell her parents about her impending marriage. Most of all, she needed to tell Ray that she hadn't told them. She only hoped that he would understand why.

She unlocked the door to their apartment and was greeted to the sound of sharp curses and a crash. She hurriedly shut the door and rushed toward the sound, her heart in her throat. Emily turned to look at her with an amused look before she turned back around and bit into the apple she held in her hand. Neela frowned as the girl leaned against the wall, her eyes fixed on the open doorway in front of her. Neela's frown deepened as she realized what room she was watching.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Neela asked breathlessly.

"I'm just enjoying the show," Emily said around a mouthful of apple. Another foul curse had her doubled over, her hand over her mouth as she laughed. "God! This is better than cable."

Neela shot her an annoyed look and pushed past her to see what she found so amusing in the baby's room. What she found froze her in place. She could only stand stock still as another crash resounded through the room…and likely the apartment below. That was just what they needed. More complaints from the neighbors.

Ray was on the floor, scowling at a large sheet of instructions as Brett tried to fit two obviously unwilling pieces together. Neela recognized the pieces as part of the crib that they had purchased the week before. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as Brett cursed again and tossed the parts to the floor.

"This shit isn't working, Ray. Christ! Why did I let you read the directions?"

"I thought men didn't read instructions," Neela said with a smirk as she entered the room, stepping over crib parts gingerly. She laughed softly as they both snapped their heads around to look at her. She didn't miss the grimace on Brett's face or the sheepish look on Ray's. "What are you trying to do?"

Ray rose from the floor, dropping the plans on top of the pile of rubble that had once been a crib.

"We wanted…"

"_You_…you wanted," Brett broke in sarcastically as he leaned against the wall crossing his arms over his chest. He shot Emily a scowl as she howled laughter in the doorway.

Ray shot them both a quelling look and turned back to Neela.

"I wanted to have this up before you came back," he said, glancing around the room. "I didn't realize that the instructions would be harder than nuclear physics."

Neela smiled and swallowed back her laughter. He could put together an elaborate drum set, and restring a guitar…he could save a life in the ER without flinching, but give him a set of instructions for anything else, and he was hopeless. Not that she was any better, but it still amused her to no end. She stepped forward and into his arms.

"Don't worry about it, Ray. We'll get it later." She glanced down at the mess and laughed softly as she shook her head. "The effort was commendable."

He gave her a skeptical smirk, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and kissed her lightly on her forehead.

"It's all right. You can say it. We should have gotten a professional to assemble it."

"I didn't say that," she said, steering him from the room. "Go on, homework," she told Emily who was still standing in the hallway, looking as if she was about to choke on the apple.

"It's done," Em shot back, but she got out of the way, heading into the baby's room behind them. Neela didn't want to contemplate what she thought she was going to do in there, but she wasn't about to call her to task for it. She had something else to worry about at the moment.

Like informing Ray of her family's ignorance.

She pulled him to a stop in the living room, meeting his questioning look evenly. She wasn't going to shrink from this, though she wanted to. If there was one thing that she feared, it was her family's wrath. Only her parents could reduce her to a quivering wreck. True, they had never been cruel to her. They weren't like Ray's father, but they could wield guilt like a sword. They used remorse to their advantage. It was the one thing that she could never bear.

"I have to talk to you," she said, and cursed inwardly as a sudden veil descended over his expression. He searched her eyes for a moment before he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm listening," he said carefully. He knew that look in her eyes. After all they had been through together, he knew her better than she knew herself. He'd seen this look before when she hadn't wanted to tell him something. That the house was on fire, she'd just accidentally spilled coffee on an entire sheaf of sheet music, that Brett had just finished off an entire box of cereal in one sitting. Oh, he'd seen that look before.

She sighed, confirming his suspicions. He held back his smile as he watched her struggle with her thoughts. It didn't really matter what she was about to tell him. He loved her with all his heart, and he wasn't about to blow up and ruin it. She had stood by him during one of the most trying times of his life. That she had done so showed how very much she loved him.

"Well, Neela," he prompted.

She blew out a breath and gave him a look of pure misery. The look caught him around the heart and anxiety crept into his chest. This wasn't just some trifling thing that she wanted to tell him. Something was seriously wrong.

"I…have to tell you something," she whispered.

His heart rate tripled.

"What is it?" he asked tightly as his hands began to shake. If she was about to tell him that she couldn't marry him, that there was something wrong with the baby, he wished that she would just spit it out, so that he could find a way to deal with it.

"I…I haven't told my parents yet," she said, rushing through the words as if she was just anxious to have them out. "About our marriage."

Ray blinked, absorbing what she had just said. Mingled relief and anger warred within him as he let them fully sink in.

"Excuse me?" he asked, just to make certain that he'd heard correctly.

She sighed and sank into the sofa.

"I haven't told them that we're getting married," she said again, knowing that she was in for the fight of her life.

"Because?" he asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral, though he wanted to shout it. He was angry. No, he was mad as hell, though he wasn't entirely surprised. He had started to wonder why her mother hadn't called at least five times a day to ask about the baby. Not that he had any sort of reference to go by, but he was certain that her mother would be just that kind of woman. His breath caught as he glared at her. "And what about the baby? Do they know that they're about to be grandparents?"

Her eyes darted from his as she shook her head. He paced away from her, trying to get a handle on his emotions. It hurt that she would keep this from her parents. It hurt far more than he ever thought it would. It was as if what they felt for each other was a dirty little secret, something to be kept from them at all costs. He counted to ten once, then again as he tried to figure out what to say.

"Can you tell me one thing?" he asked. "Is there a reason that you haven't told them?"

"I just…"

"What, Neela?" he asked tightly, swinging around to glare at her. "Am I so wrong for you? Is it so wrong that you love me…?"

Her head snapped up, and she returned his glare.

"That's not true and you bloody well know it!" she snapped.

"Then what is it, Neela? Because right now I'm wondering…"

"Wondering what, Ray?" she interrupted. "Wondering if I really want to marry you? Well stop wondering!" She sighed. "Is it so hard to believe that I want just one perfect day? That I want to marry you so badly, that I would keep my family in the dark so that they can't ruin it?"

All his anger bled away as the shock of her statement hit him full force. He took a step toward her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in confusion.

"I didn't tell them because I don't want them to ruin this…us!" she cried. "You've heard me complain about them often enough to know how controlling they are."

He paused, digesting that for a moment.

"And you think that they would try?"

She shrugged and gave him a pleading look. "I didn't want to take that chance," she whispered softly.

He couldn't ignore the worry in her eyes or the flash of fear that crossed her face. Ray sighed heavily. She hadn't grown up with a father like his. She hadn't lived with the same fears that he had, but it seemed that she did have fears of her parents. He knelt beside her and took her hands in his.

"You should have told me before now," he said quietly.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Ray. I didn't mean…"

He laughed softly and leaned in to kiss her. As it always did when he kissed her, his blood quickened and heat flooded his frame. Her hands twined in his hair, pulling him closer, returning his kiss with an urgency that bordered on madness. He couldn't help himself as he pushed her back on the sofa, pressing his length against her. The bulge of his child pressed against his stomach as he held himself still. He broke the kiss to look down at her. Brushing a lock of her hair from her eyes, he smiled down into her face.

"After everything we've been through, did you think I'd give you up without a fight?" he asked quietly. "We'll call them. Together," he said forcefully when she opened her mouth to speak. "If they have any objections, then they don't have to come."

She bit her lip and nodded. It wasn't going to be that easy. If she knew her parents, there would be more than just words passed before all was said and done. But looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but feel stronger. This was a man who had lived through horrors that most people would have died from. His strength was enough to bring her hope that everything would be all right.

"I'm sorry," she said, and he grinned.

"I don't hear that very often from you," he said. "Say it again."

She laughed and pulled him down for another kiss.

"You do have your own room, you know. Don't you realize that there are innocent eyes here?"

Ray glanced up at his sister and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you realize who pays the bills around here?" he asked.

She grinned and raised her hands, calling a temporary truce.

"I just wanted you to come and see what I did."

Ray and Neela exchanged an amused glance.

"What did you do?" he asked, looking back at his sister. Knowing her, it could be anything from spilling his black nail polish to cleaning her room.

"Just come here," she said in exasperation and whirled around to head back down the hall.

"Guess we'd better see this," Ray muttered as he rose to his feet, pulling Neela up beside him. He settled his arm around her shoulders and followed Emily to the baby's room. As he rounded the corner, his jaw dropped in shock. He barely heard Neela's giggle or Brett's laughter as he took in what he was seeing.

The crib that he had nearly gone insane trying to assemble was finished. Emily stood beside it with a smug smile on her face. He gave her an astonished look.

"You did this?" he asked.

"Yep." She glanced at Brett. "Ask Tweedle Dee there."

Brett shot her a sardonic glare and shook his head.

"Why can't your sister be nice?" he asked, heaving a sigh. "After all I've done for the brat…"

"Done? You eat all my cereal!"

Ray shut the door on their argument before Brett could say anything in response. He kissed Neela on the forehead before leaning down and placing his hand on her belly.

"Do me a favor, baby," he said softly to the baby inside her. "Stay in there as long as you can. Your Aunt Emily and Uncle Brett are both insane."

Neela laughed as he pulled her into his arms to kiss her senseless again.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello, all! Now, we know that it's been a minute since we updated this. Sorry about that. Real life has been a real...well, let's just say that it's been intruding way too much lately. Again, we want to thank everyone for their comments on the previous chapter and on the other stories we've written. We really do appreciate your input. _:D_ We'll try a little harder to keep this updated for ya. Now that we've rambled on a bit, here is chapter two. As always..._

_We are yours,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

2

Ray waited, feigning sleep, until Neela's breathing grew deep and even. He carefully slid out of bed, pausing only long enough to make sure she was really asleep before he pulled on some clothes and left the room. He closed the door behind him, cringing when the latch clicked overly loud in the quiet apartment.

He padded on bare feet down the hall to the kitchen and smiled at the sight of his sister, her head pillowed on her arms over an open book at the kitchen table. She had exceeded every expectation he could ever have had for her. Her grades were more than excellent. In fact, she was pulling a four point average. She had several good friends already that Ray had met. He'd liked them immediately. They were down to earth with just the right amount of teenage potential for trouble. He could live with that. He just hoped that Emily would hold off on the big problems for a few more years. He wasn't sure that he could handle another crisis at the moment.

He crossed the room and gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey, squirt."

Her head jerked up from her books as if a shot had gone off. She glanced around, blinking against even the soft light over the stove.

"I wasn't sleeping," she said when her gaze came to rest on him.

Ray chuckled.

"It's late, Em. You should go to bed."

"What time is it?" she asked with a yawn.

"Almost three."

She groaned and ran her fingers through her blonde hair. She'd cut it shorter since she had come to live with them. Whether consciously or unconsciously, she'd taken to styling it like Neela's. Now, however, it was sticking up on one side, and he hid his grin by turning his head. It made him feel good that his sister could look up to Neela as a role model. God knew that she'd had few of those in her life.

"What are you doing up?" she asked him as she began to gather up her things, batting his hand away when he reached in to help. "Let me get it. I have everything where I want it, and you'll mess it up." She shot him a look. "Don't you have to work in the morning?"

He nodded.

"I have something to do," he said vaguely. He hoped that she would just let it go at that, but his sister was nothing if not persistent. She paused, glancing at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Why am I suddenly afraid?" she asked dryly.

He gave her a look over his shoulder as he went to the fridge. As usual, the thing contained only a half-gallon of milk, one beer, and something he didn't want to identify. He snagged the beer and twisted off the cap, tossing it at the garbage.

"I have to make a phone call, smart-ass," he said before taking a long drink. "And it has nothing to do with you."

She set her books back down and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a look that she'd somehow picked up from Neela. He really needed to watch what those two did together. He had enough trouble dealing with Neela's temper. He didn't need two women in his life giving him crap.

"Interesting," she said slowly when he didn't elaborate. "Care to tell me what it is about then?"

He sighed, pulling at the label on the bottle before taking the seat opposite her.

"Neela hasn't told her parents about us getting married."

Her eyes widened.

"What about the baby? Do they know about the baby?"

Ray shook his head, and she whistled low in amazement.

"Why not?" she asked, confused. "What, are her parents a nightmare or something?"

"Not like we're used to," he assured her. "They're just very…" He trailed off, searching for the right word. "Traditional," he said finally, still feeling as if he hadn't gotten it right.

"Traditional," she echoed. "Traditional as in…"

He sighed heavily.

"They're controlling, okay? They like to manipulate everything she does."

Her mouth formed a small "0", and she nodded.

"She was afraid to tell them?"

"I think so," he said. "That's the impression I got."

She frowned, digesting what he'd said.

"I don't understand. If they aren't like…_him_ why would she be afraid to tell them?"

Ray managed to keep from wincing. Even after several months away from their father, she still would not acknowledge that he had ever existed. She never said the word "dad", and would only refer to him in the most contemptuous terms. Not that he blamed her, but it still stabbed home the fact that he'd been unable to prevent what their father had done to her.

"I'm not sure, squirt. I think that she's afraid that they would find a way to stop it."

Emily's face colored with anger.

"Then they don't have to come. If you aren't good enough for them then screw them."

Ray smiled, deciding not to correct her on her language. She was nothing if not protective of him.

"I think you're missing the point, Em. I just don't feel right about it." He shook his head, staring down at the bottle in his hand. "I'm marrying their daughter. She's carrying my baby, and they don't have a clue."

Emily stared at him for a long moment in silence before resting her elbows on the table and her chin in one hand.

"So…what are you going to do? Call them? Fill them in?"

He stiffened at her amused tone. "Yeah. Why?"

"Does Neela know what you're doing?"

"I…no."

She rolled her eyes before rising abruptly to her feet. He eyed her suspiciously as she gathered her books and papers into her arms. Pausing to look down at him, her mouth curved into a smile.

"You do whatever you want, big brother, but its your funeral."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked as she turned away.

She only laughed softly and made her way down the hall to her room. He considered following her but changed his mind when her door closed with a quiet click. After all, it was late, and she had school in the morning.

Her amusement had raised some doubts in his mind. He wasn't sure if he should do what he was thinking of, but he didn't have any better ideas. There was one thing he did know; Neela's parents stressed her out as nothing else could. A difficult surgery or a hectic trauma she could handle, but mention her family, and she was as nervous as a student caught without homework. Anything he could do to eliminate that stress, then he would do. Between the baby, planning for the wedding and work, she had enough to worry about.

He blew out a breath and shoved to his feet. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could get some sleep. He padded to the desk in the corner of the living room, and dug through the drawers until he found Neela's address book. He snatched the phone off the base and took it to the couch where he collapsed. Opening the book, he thumbed through the entries until he found the phone number he was looking for. Staring at the number for a long moment, again wondering if he should even do this, he began punching numbers, dialing before he could talk himself out of it.

The phone began to ring over thousands of miles and a satellite link, and Ray felt his heart begin to beat a little faster. He'd only met her parents once, but the impression had been memorable. He'd gotten the distinct feeling that they hadn't thought much of him, but it hadn't bothered him at the time. Things were much different now. He was about to marry their daughter and was the father of their future grandchild. He didn't want to be the cause of strife between Neela and her family, but he wasn't about to let her go. Not after she had come to mean more to him than life.

"Rasgotra residence."

Ray momentarily was at a loss for words. It was one thing to have a plan, quite another to put that plan into action. At the sound of her father's voice, he suddenly didn't have a clue as to what to say.

"Hello?"

Ray cleared his throat.

"Mr. Rasgotra? This is Dr. Ray Barnett. Neela's…roommate," he said. He'd come close to saying "fiancée" but had checked himself just in time. _One thing at a time, Barnett_, he thought. There was a tense silence on the line, and Ray could almost imagine what the man was thinking.

"Has something happened to Neela?" her father asked suddenly.

"No! No, Neela's fine. There are just some things that I wanted to discuss with you."

"Such as?"

Ray blew out a breath. The man wasn't going to make this easy on him.

"Well, sir, as you know, Neela and I have been living together for two years. I wanted to let you know that she and I are getting married this summer."

Ray's head echoed with the deafening silence on the line. He had been thinking of how he would break the news to her father, but it had never quite sounded like that in his head. He hadn't meant to just drop the information like a bombshell into a nitro glycerin factory.

"What did you just say?" her father asked. "Did you say that Neela is marrying you?"

Ray bristled at the tone of his voice. He'd said "you" as if Ray was a rat he'd just found in his living room. He swallowed back his rancor and fought for control of his temper. He blew out a breath.

"Yes, sir. I know that this is coming as a shock to you…"

"Shock? A _shock_? Do you have any idea what you are saying? Have you the slightest inkling…"

There was a sound of a scuffle on the other end of the line and a female voice came on the line. Ray could still hear Neela's father in the background, speaking quickly in Punjabi, and he winced. This was not looking good for relations with his future father-in-law. He almost laughed. If the man was going this insane over having him as a son-in-law, Ray wondered what he would say when he found out that Neela was pregnant.

"You are Dr. Barnett, correct?"

"Uh…yes," he answered the cool voice that spoke. She sounded much like Neela with her cultured accent, but the cold tone was nothing like the woman he loved. Neela was passionate, full of fire. This woman was her opposite; restrained, icy even. Ray shivered involuntarily.

"My husband tells me that you want to marry our daughter."

"Yes."

There was silence on the line for a long moment.

"Why?"

Ray felt his mouth drop open as shock coursed through him. What the hell kind of question was that?

"Because I love her," he answered bluntly, his shock stealing away any other words he might have spoken.

There was another eternity of silence, as if the woman was waiting on Ray to say something further and hang himself. He clamped his lips shut, determined to say nothing that would only add fuel to the fire he'd started. He was already wondering why the hell he'd ever thought that this was a good idea. _I should have just listened to Neela and left it alone, _he thought ruefully.

"So, you love her," the woman said scornfully. "And she returns your love?"

"Yes."

There was another pause.

"Is there something else you want to tell me, Dr. Barnett?" she asked, as if she already had an idea of what he was going to tell her. Ray stiffened at her tone. He hesitated, wondering now if he even wanted to say anything about the baby. If this was the way they were going to act…

"Neela and I are going to have a baby," he blurted and mentally kicked himself.

There was an audible gasp on the line.

"We will be in Chicago in two days," her mother said, her voice betraying nothing of her emotions. Ray opened his mouth to tell her that it wasn't necessary, but never got the chance. The line went dead, leaving him feeling as if he'd just started a war.

He hit the button turning off the phone and sank back on the sofa. Neela was going to kill him. He groaned and scrubbed at his face with his hands. No, that was wrong. He'd be _lucky_ if Neela killed him. As it was, he would be lucky if she didn't throw him out of the apartment. He opened his eyes and stared down at the couch. He was going to have to get used to this thing, because he had a feeling that he was going to be living on this sofa for a very long time.

Suddenly, he was exhausted. He sighed heavily and shoved to his feet, leaving her address book and the phone where it was. She was going to find out sooner or later what he had done. He might as well leave the evidence in plain sight.

He trudged to the bedroom and closed the door behind him, not caring if he was loud anymore. He was almost relieved when he heard Neela stir on the bed.

"Ray?" her sleepy voice drifted to him through the darkness. "What are you doing up?"

He settled on the bed and sighed. He was going to have to tell her sooner or later. It wasn't like he could just wait until her parents just showed up on their doorstep. What could he say then? "Oh, by the way, I called your parents and told them everything. Surprise!" Yeah, that would go over really well. A sick feeling settled in his gut at the thought.

"I…I have to tell you something," he said quietly.

He felt her stiffen for a moment before she sat up.

"I know that tone," she said dryly. "It always means trouble."

He would have laughed had he not been so worried about her reaction. Oh, yeah. He was a dead man.

"What did you do?" she asked tensely.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. Her eyes were shining in the dim light from the window, and her expression was set in lines of worry. He looked away.

"I know you told me to just let it go, but I couldn't."

"Let what go?" she asked, sudden confusion in her voice. He cringed.

"I called your parents."

"You did what?" she shouted. The bed rocked as she jumped to her feet to pace the floor. "Would you repeat that?"

"I called your parents," he said again, resigning himself to a long night. "I wanted to…"

"How could you do that, Ray? How could you go behind my back and tell them…"

"I just didn't want you to get upset," he said defensively.

"Oh, like I'm not upset now?" she asked sarcastically. "What did you tell them?"

"That we're getting married," he said.

She paused, seeming to relax. "Is that all?" she asked warily.

Ray closed his eyes.

"And that we're having a baby," he admitted sullenly.

She sucked in a breath and clenched her fists at her sides.

"I take it that you didn't hear what you were hoping to hear," she said sardonically.

He shook his head, wondering if this was going to be all, or if he was going to have to go through some serious apologies before this was all said and done. Like buying out an entire flower shop.

"I told you. Didn't I tell you?"

"Yes, you did," he said, hating like hell to admit that.

His admission seemed to calm her somewhat and she stopped pacing around like a madwoman.

"What did they say?" she asked finally.

Ray suddenly wished that he'd just listened to his sister. Or better yet, he wished that a hole would just open up and swallow him.

"Your mother…" he began, and she groaned.

"They're coming here, aren't they?"

He nodded miserably as she sank to the edge of the bed looking as if the world was about to crash down on her. He started to scoot closer, but the look she gave him made him freeze in place.

"I cannot believe that you called them," she hissed.

He clamped his lips over the biting remark that rose in his throat. _If you had told them in the first place…_ But he couldn't say it. He wasn't about to start laying blame. He knew all too well now why she hadn't said anything. He'd gotten the same feeling while speaking to them. The feeling that he was a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It didn't sit well with him. He wasn't a kid anymore and neither was she. They had the right to do whatever they damn well pleased. There wasn't a soul on earth that could say otherwise…least of all her parents.

"I wanted…"

"Now they'll come here and try to ruin everything," she interrupted miserably.

"Neela, they can't unless you let them," he said firmly, sliding closer to her. "If they come here and tell you that you have to leave me, will you do it?"

She gave him a panicked look and his heart clenched.

"Of course not!" she said, her eyes narrowing. "I just don't want to deal with them right now. I have too much already…"

"Then don't worry about it, babe," he told her, finally slipping his arm around her shoulders. "If they start in, then we'll take care of it. You're not alone in this you know."

She made a face and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"I seem to remember someone telling me that not too long ago," he added, leaning in to nuzzle her neck. She shuddered, her breath catching before she shoved him away with a scowl.

"Don't try to butter me up," she said sternly. "The fact still remains that you called them without so much as discussing it with me."

"Neela…"

She rose, grabbing a pillow from the bed and a blanket from the closet shelf and tossing them at him. He caught them and could only stare at her incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" she asked sarcastically.

"Neela, we can deal with your parents…" he began, rising to his feet, his arms filled with the things she'd thrown at him.

"That's not the point, Ray, and you bloody well know it! We can deal with them, but _we_ shouldn't have to. You should have left well enough alone and not gone behind my back. We should have called them together. But no, you had to do things your way!"

Ray clenched his fists in the blanket. When exactly had he become the designated ass hole around here? He'd only been trying to help for Christ's sake!

"Listen," he said when he thought he had some sort of control over his temper. "I'm sorry I called them without telling you first. I was just trying to save you the aggravation…"

She raised an eyebrow, her look sharpening even more if that was possible.

"Oh, I'm not even close to 'aggravated' right now," she snapped. "I'm furious, Ray."

He could only stare at her as she went to the door, yanking it open as if she were trying to pull it from the frame. Ray opened his mouth to argue with her, to try to explain what he'd meant to do, but he clamped his jaw shut. She was in no mood to listen to reason. Reason and Neela were not even nodding acquaintances lately. Instead, he headed for the door, the pillow and blanket in his arms. He paused in the doorway to look down at her.

"I do love you," he said. "I was only trying to help."

Her expression softened a degree as she returned his look.

"And I love you," she said softly. "But right now, I'm absolutely livid, and if you don't go, I just may kill you."

Ray nodded, his gaze lingering on hers until she looked away. He tried not to flinch as she shut the door in his face.

"Jesus," he muttered, turning toward the living room. He trudged down the hall, his feet weighed down with exhaustion and his heart heavy with remorse. He hadn't meant to hurt her. That had never been his intention.

_The road to hell is paved with good intentions…_

Yeah. No shit. And hell was a damned uncomfortable couch at three-thirty in the morning. He could just imagine what Brett would have to say about this. Kicked out of his own bedroom by a pregnant woman half his size. Not to mention the I-told-you-so's from his sister. She was going to have a ball with this one.

He sighed as he set about making up the couch and lying down on it. He knew that by the time he woke up, he'd have an impossible cramp in his neck and feel as if he'd been kicked in the back by a horse. He closed his eyes, knowing that sleep was not going to come easily. He only hoped that Neela could forgive him before he had to spend too many more nights like this.

Then again, he wasn't going to hold his breath.


	3. Chapter 3

_We know we're taking a long time between updates...please bear with us. RL is intruding really rudely here lately and we're trying to find a way to deal with it...lol. We want to thank everyone for all the reviews we've gotten on the previous chapters. We really appreciate your kind words. :D We hope that you'll continue to let us know what you think. As always..._

_Yours,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

3

Neela stood at the back of the couch, staring down at him as he slept. A small smile curved her lips at the sight of the uncomfortable position he was lying in. His neck looked as if it was about to break, snugged up against the armrest at an impossible angle. One leg hung off the side dragging the floor, and the other was thrown up over the back of the couch. What caught her around the heart was the sight of his hand curled up under his cheek. He looked like a little boy who had stayed up past his bedtime and collapsed.

She shook her head and went to the kitchen to make coffee. He was going to need it along with a good amount of aspirin. She remembered well Brett's loud complaints about that couch and the lack of comfort in it. She had just flipped the switch on the maker when Emily came out of her room, yawning.

"Oh, I so love you," the girl said as she saw the coffee dripping into the pot.

"You really shouldn't drink this," Neela said as she set out a bowl for Emily's cereal. That was all the girl would eat in the morning. At least, it was when it was Neela who was cooking.

"I was up too late studying," Emily said, covering her mouth as she yawned again. She took the offered bowl and fished a spoon from the silverware drawer. "Is Ray up yet?"

Neela shook her head, pulling three cups from the cupboard. She hoped that her emotions didn't show on her face. She felt awful about making him sleep on the couch. She had, yet again, let her temper get the best of her. She had just been so angry…and yes, she had to admit…afraid. Whenever her parents were involved, it threw her completely off balance. She couldn't seem to get past the dutiful daughter role when she was around them. It made no sense. She'd been living on her own for years. She was a capable doctor. She had her own life, but when her parents were around, she felt five years old again.

"He's still asleep," she told Emily, her tone carefully neutral. Emily hesitated and turned to look at her.

"He didn't," she said incredulously with dawning realization in her eyes. Her mouth dropped open then shut again. "He did. He called didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," Neela admitted, pulling the carafe from the base. She took a deep breath before she began to pour the coffee into the mugs. "I made him sleep on the couch last night."

Emily clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"I told him not to," she said. Neela couldn't help but smile. She sounded like any other kid, tattling on her brother. "I told him he shouldn't do it."

"He told you that he was going to call?" Neela asked.

"Last night. I told him that it was his funeral."

Neela laughed softly. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like I did," she said with a smile.

Emily shrugged with a grin and took the cup that Neela held out to her.

"It's good for him," she said, blowing on the hot liquid. "Just don't let him off the hook too soon. He needs to be taken down a notch or two."

Neela laughed again shaking her head. She would have thought that the two of them could have grown out of the sibling squabbling. Ray was an adult for the love of God, and Emily was nearly fifteen. In point of fact, Neela suspected that the two of them sat around thinking of new creative ways to get under each other's skin.

"Get your breakfast," she said with amusement, taking Ray's filled cup from the counter. "You have to be to school in an hour."

"I know, I know," she said turning away. "Mind your own business, Emily."

Neela ignored her mumbling and went to the living room. She knelt beside him and waved the cup under his nose. He breathed deeply, turning his head toward the scent of freshly brewed coffee, but flinched and groaned as the movement pulled at cramped muscles. His eyes fluttered open and fixed on Neela smiling at him.

"Good morning," she whispered.

He made a face and pushed into a sitting position. Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he took the cup she offered with the other.

"I wish I could say it was," he grumbled. "But someone made me sleep on the couch last night."

She offered a small smile.

"I'm…"

"No," he said, leaning forward to kiss her lightly. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "Don't apologize to me. I should have talked to you about it."

"Yes, you should have," she said sardonically. "But, I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"Emily warned me…"

"Yes, I did, but did you listen? Of course not. Why would you listen to me? Who the hell am I?"

They both raised their heads as Emily's voice faded down the hall to her room, still grumbling about Ray not listening to her, nobody listened to her, she was just some kid and her opinion didn't matter. Ray grinned as he looked at Neela.

"She's getting entirely too mouthy for her own good," he said.

"But was she right?" Neela couldn't help asking with a grin. He rolled his eyes and kissed her again.

"Don't remind me." He rose stiffly from the couch, his hands going to the small of his back. "We really need to get rid of this thing. It's murder on the back."

She let him help her to her feet and snorted.

"Try being pregnant," she said sourly. "Then we'll talk about murder."

Ray said nothing as he limped toward the bathroom. At the moment, he was just happy that they had called a truce, albeit an uneasy one. He wasn't about to remind her that they still had several months to go. If any of the stories he'd heard were true, murder could very well be in his future. He'd only narrowly escaped that fate the night before. He shut the bathroom door and groaned again when he bent to turn on the shower. He was really getting too old for this shit.

Neela smiled as she listened to the shower begin and went back to the kitchen. She was hungry, and she was certain that Ray would be too when he finally had himself in order. She popped two slices of bread into the toaster and started rummaging around in the cupboard for something else to eat. Brett had made short work of the groceries they had once had. Pretty soon, she was going to start charging him rent if he didn't lay off their food stores. Her stomach growled as she found a jar and a can, and she snatched them off the shelf. Now that sounded good…

"So I take it you didn't kill him?" Emily said as she stepped off the stool. Neela grinned at the disappointment in her voice.

"No, I didn't kill him," she said, setting her prizes on the counter. "He's on probation so to speak."

Emily nodded, her expression looking slightly smug. Then her eyes widened as she took in the containers on the counter. "What are you doing?" she asked as Neela pulled the toast from the toaster.

"Making my breakfast."

"You're kidding right?" The girl crossed the kitchen and picked up the jar of peanut butter and the can of anchovies, staring at Neela incredulously. "You're not really going to eat this."

Neela plucked them from her hands and set them back on the counter. Emily watched in sick fascination as she smeared peanut butter on the toast and dropped anchovies on top before smashing the whole mess together.

"God, I'm outta here," she said, turning slightly green when Neela took a bite. "Tell Ray I'll see him when I get home." With that, she was gone, the slamming of the front door slightly louder than was strictly necessary. She continued to munch her 'sandwich' and shrugged. It tasted perfectly fine to her. Who would have thought that anchovies and peanut butter would go together so nicely?

"Was that Em?" Ray said from behind her. Neela turned and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He was only half dressed, his shirt thrown over his shoulder and the button of his jeans undone. He looked positively delicious. He was toweling his hair and stopped dead when he caught her staring at him. "What?" he asked warily.

"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to sound nonchalant. She didn't have time to go where her mind was leading her. They both had to get ready and go to work. If they were late, then Dr. Weaver would skin them. She complained already that Ray was a bad influence on Neela; sucking her into his bad habits. She took her sandwich with her, giving him a light kiss as she passed. She could feel his confusion at her back until she closed the bathroom door behind her.

Ray shook his head and went to the kitchen. Some days he wondered if Neela wasn't going crazy. He paused, frowning as his gaze lit on the items on the counter. His stomach rolled unpleasantly at the sight of the anchovies. He hated the things, but why would Neela…

Suddenly, he understood his sister's abrupt exit from the apartment. He swallowed hard as he replaced the lid on the jar of peanut butter and returned it to the cupboard. He just held the trashcan under the counter as he swept the empty can of anchovies in. He wasn't hungry anymore. Pouring another cup of coffee, he sat down to wait for Neela, doing all he could not to think of what she was eating.

God, this was going to be a long day.

000000

Abby was waiting for them when they walked into the ER an hour later. She glanced at the clock then down at her watch.

"You're on time," she said, feigning shock.

Ray ignored her, shaking his head as he moved on to the locker room. Neela made a face at his back and raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Yes, we're on time," she said. "Would you expect anything else?"

"From the two of you anymore? Yes. Maybe a bit of fireworks between you and Weaver to start the day off right."

Neela grimaced.

"That's the last thing he or I need this morning," she muttered, heading down the hall. Abby fell into step beside her.

"Why? What happened? Did you tell him about your parents?"

"Yes." Neela cringed. "So, he decided to call them and break the news himself."

Abby sucked in a breath.

"You're kidding right? Holy shit! I never would have thought he had it in him."

"Well he did. Without talking to me first," Neela told her sourly. "I made him sleep on the couch last night," she admitted sheepishly.

Abby bit her lips to hold in laughter.

"Oh my God! No wonder he looks like shit today."

"Thanks, Lockhart," Ray said as he emerged from the locker room right in front of them. "I hope that your bedside manner is a helluva lot better than that."

He pushed past them and headed toward reception. Neela and Abby exchanged a look and grinned. It _was_ kind of funny, Neela had to admit, though she still felt a little guilty about the whole incident. She pushed through the door to the locker room.

"As if that wasn't bad enough," she continued. "My parents are coming here."

Abby stopped dead in her tracks.

"What exactly did he tell them?" she asked.

"Everything," Neela said irritably as she pulled her lab coat from her locker. "The wedding…the baby, everything."

Abby winced and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you going to do?"

Neela sighed.

"What can I do? The damage is done now. The best I can hope for is that they only stay a day or two. The last thing I need is them harping at me."

Abby nodded.

"At least they aren't coming here to kill you."

Neela smiled grimly, pulling on her coat and wrapping her stethoscope around her neck.

"I almost wish they were. Outright hostility I could manage. Guilt trips I can't."

Abby grinned, following her to the door.

"Then let Ray deal with it. He threw the lure, he can reel it in."

Neela laughed and headed out to start her day, feeling better than she had before. Her laughter died however when she saw Ray at reception, rolling his head to ease the muscles in his neck. Taking a deep breath, she moved to stand near the desk in front of him.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Peachy," he answered sourly with a wince.

"I'm sorry, Ray."

His expression softened at the sincerity in her voice, and he actually smiled, sending her heart to racing. God, she loved it when he smiled!

"So does this mean that I'm completely forgiven?" he asked sidling closer to her.

"You knew you would be," she answered glancing around nervously to see if Weaver was around. She grimaced when Morris came into view. He wasn't Dr. Weaver, but he was just as annoying.

"Break it up, kids. Daylight's burning."

Ray rolled his eyes and gave her a hot look.

"We'll finish this later," he said. "You can give me a back rub as an apology."

She raised an eyebrow, feeling a flush rise to her face. Oh, would she now? Ray grinned as if he knew exactly what she was thinking before turning away to pay attention to Morris and take the chart he offered.

"Oh, this is war," Neela muttered under her breath as she too began her day.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey, all. We know it's been a loooooong while since we updated anything on here, but please forgive us for that. It's been a crazy couple of months and RL smacked us in the heads. Lovely. Hopefully the drought is over tho and we'll be back to posting more often now. So, now, without further ado, here's chapter 4. Just a heads up, chapter 5 is already started, so..._

_Yours,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

4

It was actually closer to a week before the Rasgotras arrived. To say that living with Neela during that week was filled with tension would be to say that the Grand Canyon was a hole in the ground. She was beyond tense, and Ray was at a loss as to how to fix things. Her family was coming and there was not one thing that he could do to change it. They had only called once, leaving a message on the machine to say that they would be arriving later than planned, but it might as well have been a message of impending doom. Ray had watched her face pale as her father's voice spoke on the machine and suddenly detested the man. They made her feel insignificant and to Ray, she was anything but that.

When it came time to pick them up at the airport, he wondered if it would even be a good idea that she go. She was pale. Too pale in his opinion. She hadn't been sleeping well, and he cursed himself for ever interfering. He should have left well enough alone.

"Are you all right?" he asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

She shot him a look that was more like the Neela he knew, annoyed and full of fire, and nodded.

"I just want this bloody well over with," she muttered under her breath. "I blame you for this."

He nodded. That made two of them.

They waited in the terminal for them to emerge from the plane. He watched as Neela first paced, glancing now and then at the gate, then stood as if she needed the bathroom, idly swaying from one foot to the other, her eyes glued to the place where her parents would soon appear. He crossed his arms over his chest, his anger building by the moment. One wrong word from either of them, and he was going to lose it. There was no reason that she needed to be this keyed up. Not in the condition she was in.

Ray knew when they finally showed up by Neela's sudden stillness. She froze, her eyes widening in her pale face, her fingers tightening where they were knotted together over the swell of her belly. Ray turned, his eyes scanning the crowd for his first glimpse of her parents. Without thought, he placed his arm around her shoulders, and she gave him a grateful smile. Ray turned his attention back to the gate, and braced himself.

Her father was a small, compact man who moved with an economy of motion that suggested complete control. The only indication of an unraveling of that control was the storm swept frown on his face. His dark eyes scanned the terminal with restless intensity, and Ray involuntarily stiffened when that gaze latched onto them. He could almost feel the heat that flared in the man's eyes at the sight of Ray, his arm around Neela in a comforting embrace. Without taking his eyes from them, he turned his head to speak to the woman at his left.

Ray tore his eyes from Neela's father to focus on her mother, hoping that would be safer ground. It wasn't. Her gaze was as cold as her husband's was hot. Ray forced himself to stand tall under that freezing gaze, returning her stare with confidence he suddenly didn't feel. He gave Neela a squeeze when she shuddered lightly.

"This already doesn't look good," she said under her breath.

Ray said nothing as they approached, but he couldn't help but agree. When her parents finally wove their way through the crowd to stand before them, Ray forced a smile, hoping to banish the anger he could feel from them. He stepped forward, offering his hand to her father.

"It's an honor to finally meet you," he said, trying for the charming tack.

Her father simply stared at him as if he'd grown another head right in front of them, and Ray's smile faded. A small bloom of anger ignited in his belly, but he kept the blaze in check. Now was not the time to give reign to his temper.

Her father looked at Neela with poorly disguised disgust, and snapped out something in Punjabi. Ray's anger flared again. The man was blatantly ignoring him. Not only that, but whatever he had said had made what color there was in Neela's face drain away. He glanced at Neela's mother and found her eyes firmly fixed on him. Ray stared right back, his anger destroying whatever feeling of intimidation he'd first felt. He tore his eyes away to focus again on what was happening in front of him. He felt like an outsider watching some foreign movie. Neela listened, her eyes down as her father spoke in heated tones. Ray didn't need a translator to know an ass chewing when he heard it. Quickly, he stepped to Neela's side and put his arm around her again. She was shaking and he gave her a squeeze before he looked at her father.

"I know," he said firmly, interrupting the flow of words from the man, "That this has come as something of a shock to you…"

"A shock," her father spat. "You have no idea what shock is, young…man."

Ray clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to simply take Neela and leave. If this was how they treated her, then he could damn well appreciate why she'd never told them. So far, her mother had not spoken, but Ray had a feeling that whatever she had to say, he damn sure didn't want to hear it.

"I want you to understand that I'm marrying your daughter because I love her," he said, trying to stay calm, rational, to explain what was happening before this got out of control.

"Love," her father snarled. "What would you know of that? I know who you are. The doctor who fashions himself a rock star."

"Father, please," Neela whispered from the shelter of Ray's arm, only to cringe when he spun back to glare at her.

"You would ruin yourself for him," he said bluntly. "You would jeopardize your future for 'love'. You had responsibilities…."

He suddenly started in again, switching to Punjabi, but Ray could follow along just fine by the tone of his voice and Neela's reaction. He looked again at her mother and thought he saw a pained look cross her face as she watched her daughter, but he dismissed the notion. His attention was suddenly caught by a small choked sound from Neela, and he turned in time to catch her as she fell.

His heart in his throat, he lowered her to the floor, checking her pulse, making certain that her airway was clear. He looked up at her mother, jerking his cell phone from where it hung on his belt.

"Call 9-1-1," he ordered harshly, preparing to toss her his phone. At the last moment, he changed his mind, and gently lifted her from the floor. "On second thought, forget it. I'll take her myself." He shot the two of them a hard glare. "You can come with us, or you can find your own way. It doesn't matter to me either way," he snapped. "But one wrong word from either of you, and I'll leave you by the side of the road."

They exchanged a glance and followed him as he left the terminal. He reluctantly relinquished his hold on her, laying her gently in the back seat of their borrowed car with her mother. He couldn't drive and hold her at the same time.

"I will drive," her father growled, snatching the keys from Ray's mostly numb fingers. Ray glared right back at him before he conceded, sliding into the back seat to hold her head in his lap. He didn't care if the man could drive in America or not, just so long as they could get to County…like ten minutes ago.

For Ray, the next twenty minutes were an exercise in fear. He'd thought he'd known fear as a child, growing up with his father. He'd believed that he had experienced fear when his father had come to Chicago to get Emily. He realized now that those moments were nothing but anxiety. Fear was the unknown. Fear was being helpless as the woman you loved fainted and refused to wake up. Fear was the threat of losing her and the child she carried for a reason that you couldn't fathom. Oh, he knew fear now, all right.

When they reached the ER, Ray didn't wait, didn't hesitate. He lifted her from the car, and carried her in, yelling for Abby, Luka, any goddamn person he could get. In a flurry of motion, they descended, taking her from him and wheeling her away on a gurney. He followed, explaining what had happened in clinical tones. If he did anything else, he would just fall to his knees and weep, but he couldn't do that now. She was always strong for him; he could be the same for her.

"I think you need to wait out here, Ray," Abby said as they entered Exam Two.

He looked into the room and tried to edge around her stubbornly, but she placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back into the hall.

"You're too keyed up to do anything useful," she said, not unkindly. "You can watch from the hall, if you won't go sit down." When he didn't move, she have him another gentle push. "I'll come get you when we know something."

He went reluctantly, not wanting to see reason, but knowing that he would do the same if the situation was reversed. He didn't even hear her parents as the moved to stand beside him, but still separated by a gulf of animosity. He ignored them, chewing a knuckle as he watched the activity in the room through the blinds. He knew he should say something to them, somehow ease that tension, but he couldn't find it in him to do so. Not until he knew she would be all right.

When Abby finally came out of the room, her face as unreadable as the Sphinx, he was about to just shatter. He ignored her parents as they crowded around him, anxiously waiting for Abby's next words. She raised her eyebrows in question, but Ray could only shake his head.

"She's going to be fine," Abby said to him and him alone. "She's just exhausted, a little dehydrated, and stressed out. It all added up. With a little rest, she'll be good as new."

"And the baby?"

Abby smiled at him reassuringly.

"The baby's fine, and quite rambunctious already."

Ray closed his eyes in relief, but snapped them open at the sound of her mother's voice.

"May we go in and see her?"

Ray glared at the woman's back, unable to believe the audacity. His eyes flicked to Abby and saw her expression harden.

"Ray may go in at the moment, but that's all."

"We are her parents…" her father began.

"Then you'll understand that she needs peace and quiet," Abby said, moving to block the door. "Since Ray is listed as her immediate family, and since he is here now, he may go in."

The two of them turned in shock to stare at him, and he stared right back for a long moment before brushing past them to go in. At the door, he paused, swallowing hard on his pride. It was bitter, but he swallowed it down nonetheless.

"I'll be minute, and then you can see her," he said, nearly choking on the words before he entered the room. He glanced at Abby as the door closed behind him and tried to smile at the approval in her eyes.

"Way to be a grown up, Ray," she said softly.

He rolled his eyes. He didn't feel like being a grown up. He felt like throwing a right proper tantrum.

"Do me a favor, Abby. Call Brett and ask him to pick up Emily at school for me. I'm not leaving until Neela can leave."

Abby searched his face for a moment before nodding. He gave her the number and she left, squeezing his arm before leaving the room.

She paused outside the window, watching Neela's parents as they stared into the room. She glanced in and saw Ray settle himself on the edge of the bed precariously. He took Neela's hand and brought it to his lips, all the while staring with measured intensity at her face. Abby looked away, her face hot, feeling like a voyeur. It was a side of Ray that she'd never seen before, but, now that she had, she could well understand why Neela loved him so much. She looked again at Neela's parents, who were still staring through the window as if this was the movie of the week. A flash of annoyance at them made her clench her fists in her coat pockets. Couldn't they see that some privacy would be nice?

"If you'll just come with me," she said loudly. Too loudly. They and half the occupants of the hallway turned to look at her. She forced a smile. "I'll show you to the lounge where you can wait. You'll be more comfortable there."

Neela's father opened his mouth to say something, but her mother placed a hand on his arm, halting him.

"That would be fine," she said, and Abby could only stare. If she hadn't known better, she would say that it was Neela who had spoken. "Thank you, Dr…"

"Lockhart. Abby Lockhart," she said as she started down the hall.

They said nothing more, and for that, Abby was grateful. She already had herself involved in too many disputes around this place. She wasn't about to do it again. Once she had them settled in the lounge, she went about calling Brett for Ray. She'd only met him once, at the housewarming party for Ray and Neela, but it had been a memorable experience. He had gotten drunk and fallen over the couch in some rough and tumble with another member of the band. Abby grinned as she picked up the phone to dial. She would never forget the way his feet, clad in canvas Converse high tops, had flipped over his head, and the way he'd just popped back up like a drunken jack-in-the-box to say "I'm all right" before falling on his face again. He'd spent the rest of the night with an ice pack on his head from smashing it on the floor.

She dialed and listened to the phone ring on the other end.

"What do you want, Barnett? I'm trying to get us another gig next weekend and you're screwing with my sales pitch."

"This isn't Ray," Abby said, fighting the urge to laugh. Neela was right. These people were insane. "This is Dr. Lockhart at the ER. Ray asked me to call."

"What happened, and who do I have to kill for it?"

Her eyebrows shot up at that. He'd gone from annoyed but goofy to serious and homicidal in the space of seconds. She shook her head. Crazy all right.

"You don't have to kill anyone. Neela fainted and she's here to be examined. Ray asked me to call you and see if you would pick up his sister."

There was a rush of air over the phone, and Abby waited to see what the man would say next. From what she'd heard from Neela, it could be anything.

"No problem," he said finally, his tone back to normal. "Tell him we'll be there in a few."

"Don't kill yourself in traffic," she began, but he'd already hung up. She replaced the phone in the cradle and could only stand there staring at it.

"What the hell was that?" Frank asked from her left. "I thought I was the only one who got the freaks and weirdos."

"It was one of Ray's friends," she said.

Frank snorted and turned away to gather up some paperwork.

"Don't get much weirder than that," he muttered before turning away.

Abby rolled her eyes and went to Exam Two. Next time, Ray could make his own phone calls, she decided.


	5. Chapter 5

_Not real sure what's going on with but notifications aren't coming thru. Anyway, we hope that everyone likes this chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it. We are trying really hard to keep our promise to update more often...lol! As always, we want to thank all who reviewed and/or read the last several chapters. We hope that you'll continue to do so with this one. So, now, we bring you Chapter Five._

_Yours,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

5

Abby was at the admit desk when Brett and Emily arrived. She lifted her head when the door opened and paused in surprise. She'd seen Emily a few times since her move to Chicago, but the girl that stood there now had changed. This was a girl poised on the edge of womanhood. She was calm, not like some of the fourteen-year-old drama queens that came into the ER. She scanned reception before her eyes lit on Abby. Rucking her backpack more firmly on her shoulder, she walked over with Brett in tow.

"Dr. Lockhart," she said, her manner unusually subdued. Abby smiled.

"Abby. I see you made it without getting killed in an accident."

Emily shot Brett a dark look and he grinned cheekily back.

"No thanks to Señor Demolition driver here," she muttered. "I can't believe they gave you a license."

He jammed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"They took it away a couple times, but always give it back. I must be doing something right." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, smart-ass, you don't even have a license. Who are you to complain?"

"Oh, I'm so gonna laugh when Ray has to patch you up in here some night for being stupid…"

"Children!" Abby exclaimed, struggling not to laugh. "Good God, you two act like you're five!"

Emily looked back at Abby with a broad grin.

"He started it," she said, and Abby finally laughed.

"Now I see what Neela was talking about," she said, shaking her head.

"I'm not even going to ask," Emily said deadpan. She sighed and glanced down before her eyes rose to Abby's in a pleading look. "Can I see her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, Abby couldn't answer. In that instant, the girl had looked so much like Ray that it was eerie. And young. All the poise she'd shown before was gone, and she was a scared little girl. Abby cleared her throat to hide her discomfort.

"Not yet," she said gently, returning the chart she held to the rack. Sliding from behind the desk, she waved the two of them after her down the hall. "Ray's with her now," she said. "But she's going to be fine. She's just pushed herself too hard."

"She's been freaked over her parents visiting," Emily said with some heat as they entered the lounge. "I don't know what they have against my brother…"

She trailed off at the sight of the two occupants of the room. Abby glanced at Brett and cringed at the look he shot her, as if he wasn't quite sure what was about to spew from the girl's mouth. Abby cursed inwardly. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have taken Ray's sister to another exam room to wait instead of kicking the hornet's nest. The girl was notorious for saying anything at any time without warning.

Neela's mother was staring at Emily curiously, but her father was in a world of his own. Abby held her breath as Emily approached them.

"I'm Emily Barnett," she said quietly. "Dr. Barnett's sister. You're Neela's parents, aren't you?"

"Oh, shit," Brett said under his breath. "Ain't this a bitch?" Abby nodded absently. She couldn't have agreed more with his assessment. Emily had gone right ahead and not only kicked the hornet's nest, but had punted it.

Neela's father finally focused enough to look at Emily, his expression darkening at the mention of Ray's name. Emily stared back at him coolly, surprising Abby. From all she'd heard, Emily had a temper that rivaled a volcano in destructive force. That she just stood there and let him look at her like that was noteworthy for the rarity itself.

Neela's mother offered a chilly smile.

"I am Priya Rasgotra, and my husband, Ajay."

Emily held her gaze for a long moment before she nodded shortly.

"Why are you here?" she asked bluntly, and Abby cringed.

"Brat…" Brett said with a tone of warning, taking a step forward. Emily ignored him.

"Why did you come all the way to Chicago?" she asked again. Abby opened her mouth to say something, but closed it just as quickly. If Emily had yelled the question, or started in with a screaming match as she'd seen some fourteen year olds do in the ER, she would have dragged her out immediately. Emily, however, sounded normal, as if she were discussing the weather. Abby glanced at Brett, and he gave her a hard look before turning toward the door. She hoped like hell he was going to get Ray before this stopped being a discussion and escalated into something ugly.

Neela's father narrowed his eyes as he stared at Emily.

"We came here to see that our daughter didn't destroy her life," he growled. "A child such as you would have no idea…"

"Oh, but I do, sir," Emily interrupted with a chilling smile that rivaled Priya's. "I know all too well what you're doing. You want to see Neela do as she's told, when she's told."

Ajay's face darkened further and Priya put a hand on his arm.

"I don't know what your parents are teaching you," the woman began sharply, addressing Emily, "But it certainly is not manners."

Emily dropped her backpack to the floor with a thud, and Abby took a step forward in alarm.

"My _parents,_" she spat, "Didn't teach me much of anything except how not to live." She eyed the two of them with a hard glare. "I live with Ray and Neela."

Neela's parents exchanged a glance, and Abby could almost hear what they were thinking. Torn between anger at the two of them, and fear of what Emily would do, she held her breath, ready to jump in if something untoward happened. However, she was unable to tear herself away from the drama unfolding before her eyes. Emily was fascinating in her absolute control, something she'd never witnessed in a child so young.

"Let me just tell you one thing," Emily continued in that same rational tone. "Your daughter has been more of a mother to me than my own ever thought about being. Truthfully, I don't give a damn what you think of my brother, or me. Hate us all you like, but we love Neela. And if all you want to do is come here to start trouble, then you can sashay right back to the airport, hop a plane, and leave. We'll give her all the love and support she needs."

"Young lady, you don't know…"

"I know all I need to know," Emily said heatedly, her voice finally rising in anger. "I may be a kid, but I'm not an idiot. I've watched her pick at her food for the past week because she was too upset to eat. I've listened to her roam around the apartment because she couldn't sleep worrying about the two of you coming. Oh, yes, sir. I know all I need to know."

Priya paled a little and her hand went to her mouth.

"She's done that?" she asked Emily.

"Em, that's enough," Ray said from the doorway. Her head snapped around, blue eyes blazing to look at him. Abby tore her eyes away from Emily to stare at him. It seemed that it was a day for shocks. She'd never heard Ray speak like that before, and almost didn't believe her eyes when she saw that it was indeed him standing there.

They glared at each other for a long moment, before Emily leaned down to snatch up her bag. She shot Neela's parents one long lingering look before striding with angry steps toward the door. Without a word, she edged past her brother, and was gone. Abby heard Brett talking to her in the hall, but couldn't make out what was being said. Ray sighed heavily before he paced further into the room. Abby felt her heart clench at the weariness in his face.

"Neela's awake," he said without preamble. He didn't apologize for his sister's words or behavior, a fact that was not lost on the couple seated on the sofa. "If you want to go in and see her, I don't have a problem with it, but there are conditions."

Ajay opened his mouth to say something, but the look Priya gave him stopped those words cold.

"And they would be?" she asked. Some of the frost had thawed from her voice, and Ray raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly his sister had said before he'd come into the room.

"I don't want her upset any more than she already is," he said as calmly as he could. "If I hear one raised voice, see one look on Neela's face that I don't like, I will boot you out so fast your heads will spin. And if you think I won't," he added louder, as Neela's father rose to his feet in defiance, "Just try me."

"Neela is my daughter…" he began.

"And she is about to be my wife," Ray broke in. "And the mother of my child. Like it or not, she's a grown woman and doesn't deserve to be belittled."

Ray stared at her father, feeling tired all the way to the bone. He felt like he'd aged ten years in the past hours. He wished that it hadn't come to this. He'd wanted nothing more than to get along with Neela's parents. They were part of who she was. But that didn't give them the right to treat her the way they had. He'd be damned if anyone was going to hurt someone he loved, parents or not.

He waited, watching as her father sputtered wordlessly. His attention shifted to her mother when she stood. He was taken aback by the sudden warmth in her eyes and could only gape as she held her hand out to him.

"I am Priya," she said softly. "We were never properly introduced."

Every movement suddenly froze in the room. Neela's father seemed just as flabbergasted as Ray was by Priya's sudden change of heart. Ray didn't turn around to look when the door quietly snicked shut, heralding Abby's abrupt exit. He swallowed and took her cool hand in his own.

"Dr. Ray Barnett," he said quietly, holding her gaze. She searched his eyes for a long moment before offering him a small smile.

"You have a good soul," she said unexpectedly. "You defend what you hold dear, and I can respect that. I agree to your terms."

Neela's father seemed about to have a coronary.

"Priya, you cannot mean to…"

"Oh, Ajay, do be silent! You make my head ache."

With monumental effort, Ray held his smile in check. Now where had he heard that before? Even the tone was the same, the only difference being the name. She stepped forward and walked with Ray to the door, leaving her husband behind to fume.

"We are not usually so…" she waved her hand as if searching for the right word.

"Insane?" Ray offered, opening the door for her.

She raised an eyebrow, her dark eyes flashing, until she saw his grin. She laughed softly.

"Rude," she conceded. "I am sorry, but this was all unexpected."

"I understand," he told her. "I didn't want it to be this way."

"It is not you, you understand. It is just…"

"You want the best for Neela."

She paused, before nodding.

"Yes." She hesitated. "Your sister is very direct."

Ray nodded. That was the understatement of the century. The kid was blunt to the point of brutality sometimes.

"She's about as subtle as a sledgehammer," he said, earning rich laughter.

"She is that, but it is refreshing in a world where there are too many subtleties."

They paused at the door to the exam room and Priya turned to look at him.

"I won't be long," she promised. "And I'll not upset her."

Ray nodded, not sure what to say. He had no experience with parents who honestly cared enough to put differences aside for their children. So he stood there, his hands jammed in his pockets, and watched as she entered the room, shutting the door behind her.

000000

Neela stared at the ceiling, wondering what the hell was going to happen next. She couldn't believe that she had fainted. And in front of her parents no less. This was just beautiful. The monitors blipped softly on the edge of her awareness, the loudest monitoring the baby's heart rate. Tears of relief and joy came unbidden to her eyes as she listened to the quick tempo. She closed her eyes, and the image of Ray's worried face blazed across her lids. She had scared him. She'd seen that clearly flashing in the depths of his hazel-green eyes, but just the sight of him had made her feel better. Knowing that he had stayed with her, damning the consequences. Her parents were sure to have plenty to say…

Her eyes flew open at the soft sound of the door opening. She raised her head to find her mother edging into the room, closing the door behind her. Neela tensed, preparing herself for recriminations, accusations, and animosity. None of it came. Her mother smiled at her gently, a look Neela had not seen from her since childhood.

"How are you feeling, _mere gahina?_"

Neela could only stare at her. Her mother hadn't called her "my jewel" in a very long time.

"Much better," she finally managed.

Her mother nodded as if satisfied and crossed the room to stand by the bed.

"You should have told us, Neela."

Neela dropped her eyes, twisting the blanket through her fingers. She knew what she should have done. She should have told her family about her marriage, her coming child. She should have told Ray immediately that she hadn't done so. It all seemed so ridiculous now, the fears she had held.

"I know. I just didn't want…"

"You didn't want a scene, but we gave you one all the same. It was not our intention to hurt you."

Neela's mouth dropped open in shock as she shot her mother a sharp look. She snapped it shut with an almost audible click.

"Who are you?" she asked without thinking and felt her face heat up when her mother smiled.

"Apparently, I am to be a grandmother," she said amused. "Dr. Lockhart tells us that the baby is well."

"Yes," she answered, still unable to believe the change in her mother.

"And you have had no sickness?"

Neela felt herself relax a little. This she could deal with.

"No."

Her mother chuckled.

"Neither did I when I was pregnant with you. Your father was ill every morning for me."

Neela laughed, thinking of Ray. She wasn't quite sure what had happened since she'd come here, but she was thankful. She had not had a conversation with her mother like this since…well, never if she wanted to get right down to the truth. It felt wonderful.

At that moment, Ray came in, a small smile on his lips at the sound of her laughter.

"Emily's here, frothing at the mouth to come in and see you," he said to Neela, glancing at her mother in apology.

"I'll go. That girl is likely to tear down the hospital if she doesn't get what she wants soon." She smiled at Neela before turning to go. "I'll come back later."

"What about Father," Neela couldn't help but ask. Priya shot her a haughty look over her shoulder.

"Don't worry about a thing. I more than know how to handle your father."

Ray waited until she was gone before blowing out a breath.

"I don't doubt that for a second," he said in relief as he crossed the room to sit on the bed. "I'm glad I'm not in his shoes right now."

"I don't understand what happened," Neela told him in confusion. "She was almost…normal."

Ray laughed and brushed the hair away from her face tenderly. God, she was precious to him! He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, though what he really wanted to do was crush her to him and never let her go. He restrained himself. There was plenty of time for that once they got home.

"I think Em said something that got her thinking, but the rotten kid won't tell me shit."

Neela rolled her eyes, but couldn't be too upset. Whatever Emily had said had gone a long way toward some sort of truce with her family.

"I can only imagine," she said dryly. "And I suppose her shadow is here too."

Ray gave her a lopsided grin.

"Would you expect anything else? Don't worry, I won't send them in together."

"Thank you. One fight today is about all I think I can handle."

She paused, her hand going to his cheek, feeling the stubborn stubble that he could never quite manage to get rid of. He leaned his head into the caress, his eyes searching her face in question.

"I love you," she said softly. Any other words she could have said stuck in her throat as insignificant. Those three words encompassed everything. And when he kissed her, it was as if the events of the day had never happened and all that was left was the two of them in that one perfect moment. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled away, her eyes widening.

"What? What's wrong?" Ray asked in alarm, gearing up to bolt for help.

"I think I just felt the baby move," she said in awe, her hand going to her belly.

Ray stared at her for a second before he grinned, shaking his head.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack today?" he asked.

She giggled and grabbed his hand; placing it over the place she'd felt the tiny flutter. They waited and when the movement came again, she could only smile at his awestruck expression.

"The kid's really moving in there," he said proudly, as if he'd had something to do with it. Neela laughed against his lips as he cupped her face roughly and kissed her soundly in his excitement. He was going to make a wonderful father.

000000

Emily backed out of the room closing the door as silently as she could. She didn't want to ruin the moment by announcing that she'd been watching from the door. She smiled, content for the moment to let Ray have time with Neela. He needed it after everything that had happened. She'd seen the worry in his eyes, and wasn't going to shatter whatever joy he could find.

"What happened?" Brett asked as he strolled up beside her, handing her a soda.

"Thanks," she said. "They're having a 'moment'. I don't need to be in on that."

Brett took a drink from his can and shuddered.

"One of those, huh? I wonder sometimes what would happen if you and I weren't around to force their hands."

Emily grinned, popping the top of the can and taking a drink.

"By the way, Brat, that was a wonderful performance. With her parents. You don't sing do you? We could use someone who can put on a good show."

She shot him an annoyed look.

"That wasn't acting," she said. "I was furious."

He grinned, nudging her almost off balance when she tried to take another drink. Soda dripped down her chin as she shoved him away.

"Like I said, a brilliant performance. Oops, you spilled some," he said with a laugh before jogging away to the lounge.

"I'm going to kill that man one of these days," she muttered under her breath as she wiped her chin, but she was smiling as she said it.


	6. Chapter 6

_Remember me when I am gone away, _

_Gone far away into the silent land; _

_When you can no more hold me by the hand, _

_Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. _

_Remember me when no more day by day _

_You tell me of our future that you plann'd: _

_Only remember me; you understand _

_It will be late to counsel then or pray. _

_Yet if you should forget me for a while _

_And afterwards remember, do not grieve: _

_For if the darkness and corruption leave _

_A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, _

_Better by far you should forget and smile _

_Than that you should remember and be sad._

-_Christina Rossetti_

_Dedicated to our dear friend who passed away this weekend. Goodbye, George. You will forever live in our hearts and minds._

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

6

Ray waited outside the room with a minimum of patience for the labs to come back on Neela. He'd never given a thought to how frustrating it was to wait without anything else to do. He had always had other patients to occupy him. Now he was on the receiving end of the lab's snail pace, and he didn't like it one little bit. He wanted to take Neela home, make her comfortable, and have it out with her father. In that order.

He raised his head as Abby approached with a chart in her hands.

"Who kicked you out this time?" she asked with a sympathetic smirk.

"Her mother and my sister." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please let us have a boy so I'm not outnumbered in my own house."

Abby laughed harder than he thought necessary.

"It'll be couple months before you can find that out," she said, still chuckling. "In the meantime," she continued, hefting the chart, "I thought I'd let you know that as soon as Luka signs off you can leave. Her labs were what I expected, some of her levels are low which was why she fainted."

"But she'll be all right," Ray said, trying to steal a look at the chart. Abby held it out of sight.

"You're not the doctor on this case. Back off. She'll be fine with a little rest, peace and quiet, some good food…"

"Done, done, and done," Ray said firmly. "And Brett is officially banned from the apartment until he and Emily can stop fighting…"

Abby laughed.

"I don't see why Brett can't act like an adult for this situation."

Ray grimaced.

"The last time we told him to grow up he turned Emily over his knee."

"Oh." Abby pressed her lips together for a moment before she gave up the fight and burst out laughing. "Jesus, Ray. You have some interesting friends." She shook her head, wiping her eyes. "I'll just get Luka to sign these and you can get out of here."

Ray nodded, watching as she walked back up the hall to the desk. He turned around only to find Brett standing right behind him.

"You leaving soon?" he asked.

"Yeah. They were just waiting on the lab results on Neela."

Brett jammed his hands in his pockets and glanced at the door.

"She's gonna be all right?"

"Yes. She just needs some rest. No stress."

Brett shot him a look and ran his hand through his hair.

"So this means that antagonizing your sister is out of the question."

Ray grinned and shook his head. He wondered sometimes if there hadn't been some mix-up somewhere and Brett was really a long lost brother. Since the moment he'd discovered that Emily was Ray's sister, the two of them had done nothing but provoke each other. It was enough to drive someone to drink.

"At least until Neela's parents leave. I don't want to give them any excuses to throw a fit while they're here."

Brett let out an exaggerated sigh.

"All right. I'll behave. I can't say the same for the brat, but then that's not my department."

Ray winced and leaned against the wall. Controlling Emily was next to impossible, but by the look of things, she would take care of that herself.

"Thanks for picking Emily up for me," he said.

Brett grinned.

"No problem. What's family for anyway, besides driving you nuts." He glanced down at this watch. "Oh, shit. I have to go. I'm late for work again."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. I don't like this job anyway. By the way, we've got a gig next weekend. Can you get Friday and Saturday off?"

"I think so. I'll switch with Abby or Pratt. Abby won't be a problem. Pratt I might have to bribe."

"Whatever. Just get the time off. Now I'm outta here. Tell Neela I'll see her later."

"She'll be overjoyed," Ray said sarcastically under his breath as he watched his friend weave through the ER. His mouth dropped open as the full impact of Brett's words hit him. _Family._ It never occurred to him that Brett would think of him as such. Suddenly he smiled. His family was growing by leaps and bounds. Even more amazing was the fact that this family was not out to kill him. At least, not outright. He laughed. Between Brett and Emily's constant battles, Neela's uncertain temper, and the Rasgotras, he was well on his way to the nuthouse at the very least.

He was still laughing when Abby approached with Neela's discharge papers.

000000

Neela forced her body to relax as Ray drove them home in Nick's car. She watched the road, listening as her mother and Emily debated in animated tones about what the girl would be wearing to the wedding. Any amusement she felt at the strange conversation was shattered by the continued silence of the males in the car. Her father had not spoken to her since leaving the hospital. In fact, he'd hardly looked at her. A knot settled in her stomach. She didn't want her father to be angry with her. She was happy that she and her mother had come to an understanding, but she wanted her father's blessing as well.

To make matters worse, Ray was strangely silent. She kept stealing sidelong looks at him as he drove, his knuckles white as he gripped the wheel. She could feel the tension in him from across the car. She couldn't believe that her father's animosity would set him so on edge. He'd faced worse than silence in his life. But she couldn't deny that the last time she had felt these things from him had only come when his father had invaded their lives. She glanced at Ray again and sighed inwardly. She'd drag it out of him sooner or later. Preferably before she lost her mind.

When they reached their apartment building and parked the car in the private lot, she watched her father's eyebrows rise a fraction at the improved neighborhood. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he remained stoic. Neela heaved another inward sigh and focused instead on Ray, becoming increasingly alarmed at the blank look in his eyes.

She barely heard her mother and Emily making plans for a shopping trip and was mildly surprised when they reached their floor. Ray stalked to their door, and she followed blindly, waiting as he unlocked the door. Once inside, she took Ray's hand, earning a startled look.

"Emily," she said, interrupting the flow of chatter from the girl. "Could you show my parents to your room?" At her nod, Neela turned to her parents. "I believe that I'll lie down for a while. I'm sorry…"

"Think nothing of it, _mere gahina,_" Priya said warmly. "We can fend for ourselves for a time. Rest."

Neela smiled and glanced at her father, but he was looking at everything but her. She ignored the stab of pain that caused and practically dragged Ray to their room. She'd had enough of his silence and if she didn't find out what was bothering him, she would really go nuts. One sulky male was about all she had patience for. Since her mother had promised to deal with her father, that left Neela to deal with Ray.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it as he began to fiddle with the blankets on the bed. She watched his face carefully, noting the tightening in his jaw, his sharp movements, and the flashes of annoyance in his eyes. Finally she sat down on the bed, and grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.

"Talk to me, Ray."

"About what?" he asked, avoiding her eyes.

"You know damn well what. Whatever it is that's bothering you."

"I'm fine," he said tightly, trying to pull away. "You need to rest…"

"Don't lie to me," she said quietly, tugging on his hand until he was forced to either sit or fall down. "I know when something's wrong with you."

He finally met her eyes and some of the tension drained out of him. He blew out a long breath, smiling sheepishly.

"Was I that obvious?"

Neela smiled, reaching out to stroke his cheek.

"You were practically broadcasting," she said with amusement. "I think I'm the only one who noticed though. I know you too well."

He covered her hand with his and leaned into her palm.

"Yes, you do."

"If it's my father…"

He pulled her hand from his face to lace his fingers with hers, toying with her fingers. He shook his head with a laugh.

"It's not him. This little attitude he's throwing around is amateur hour all the way. We see worse from Em. The only thing that pisses me off about him is that he's upsetting you."

Neela frowned, leaning forward to catch his eye.

"I'm more worried about you at the moment."

"Neela, I'm fine…"

"And if you say that one more time, I'll slap you."

He rolled his eyes, but still said nothing.

"Ray, if it isn't my father, then what…?"

"Good God, Neela! What do you want to hear?" he suddenly burst out. "That you scared the shit out of me today? That I'm still feeling it? Jesus…"

He stood, dropping her hand to stalk around the room. She watched him, fascinated. She was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. It had never occurred to her that it would be something other than her family that had given him fits. She had seen his worry, his fear at the hospital, but she hadn't realized how deep it truly went. She rose from the bed and stepped into his arms, laying her head against his chest to listen to the rapid beat of his heart.

"I had flashbacks to when Dad came here, out for blood. I don't want to lose you."

Neela tightened her arms around him and closed her eyes. Tears burned just behind her eyelids. She never doubted that he loved her. It had never crossed her mind to question that love, but now she knew the depths of that love. She felt the same whenever she thought of losing him. Even the thought hurt, deep down, to the very core. Now she knew that it was the same for him. She couldn't imagine what had gone through his mind when she had simply collapsed.

"If anything happened to you…" he breathed against her hair.

She raised her head to look into his haunted eyes. Without a word, she reached up and pulled his head down to kiss him. She put every ounce of love she felt for him into that kiss, moaning as his hands plunged into her hair to gently knead her scalp.

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Ray," she whispered as he guided her toward the bed. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

He paused, pulling away long enough to look down into her eyes. His breathing was ragged as he stroked her hair from her face and ran his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips.

"You should be resting," he said reluctantly, obviously not wanting to stop what she had started. Thinking of her…always of her.

She smiled and pulled him toward the bed.

"Then you do the work," she said mischievously. "I'll just lie there."

A slow grin split his face, before he gently shoved her onto the bed and covered her body with his own.

"We'll see about that," he said before kissing her blind.

000000

Ray woke with a start to a darkened room. Disoriented, he looked at the glowing numbers on their alarm clock and groaned softly. It was after one in the morning. He and Neela had fallen asleep talking. He grinned as his hand brushed her bare thigh. Well, they hadn't _only_ been talking. He glanced at the door, wondering what her parents were thinking of their disappearance. And Emily was probably livid for being left alone with them.

He looked down at Neela and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before pulling the blankets up to cover her. He'd not intended what had happened. He had thought to settle her in bed and return to the living room to play the good host. But he wasn't going to regret it. He had needed the time with her, the closeness that he felt when they made love. He'd been living in a state of near panic for most of the day at the thought that something would happen to her, but that was all a distant memory now. He leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder before tucking the blanket around her. As carefully as he could, he rose from the bed.

"Ray?"

"Yeah, babe," he whispered, searching the floor for his jeans.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"I need something to drink," he said. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay. Could you bring me something to eat? I'm starving."

"Sure."

"Don't be long, okay?" she muttered curling up on her side, already mostly asleep again. "It's bloody cold without you."

Ray grinned and shook his head, knowing for certain that she was asleep. Some of the strangest things popped out of her mouth when she was half asleep. It made him feel good though that even while asleep she still wanted him near.

As quietly as he could, he opened the door and stepped out of the room. Immediately, he was on the alert as movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He pressed himself into the shadows, relaxing a fraction as his eyes adjusted and Neela's father came into view.

He was wandering around the living room, idly plucking picture frames from shelves, looking at them in the dull light from the hallway and replacing them. The picture of Neela and Emily that Ray had taken after they had gone school shopping. It was Ray's favorite. He could almost hear Neela laughing when he looked at it. Next the picture that Abby had taken at the housewarming party. Ray smiled, thinking of that one. Neela's arms were around his waist and he'd had to hunch down to rest his cheek on her head. Neela loved that picture. Then there were the pictures of Emily alone, Emily with Ray, Emily with Brett. Ray raised an eyebrow when the man came to the pictures that Neela had taken of Ray and the band at various gigs in the past months and wondered what the he thought of his rocker gear.

Her father turned and, spotting the guitar on its stand, moved toward it.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Emily's voice said unexpectedly from the darkness.

Ray nearly laughed aloud as the man snatched his hand back as if from an open flame. He spun around glaring as Emily's head popped up from the couch.

"That guitar is Ray's prized possession," she warned him. "I'm afraid to even breathe wrong around it let alone touch it." She glanced at the instrument that seemed to glow in the soft light from the hall. "Jimmi Hendrix owned that guitar. If anything happened to it, Ray would have a coronary."

Neela's father glanced at the instrument, then back at Emily.

"Why are you awake?" he asked, and Ray almost fell over in shock. It was the first he'd heard the man say since the hospital. He heard Emily laugh softly.

"For a small man, you make a surprising amount of noise."

He stared at her in disbelief, and Ray raised an eyebrow. The man had been silence itself. Ray wouldn't have even known he was there if he hadn't seen him moving.

"Lying is not your strong suit, young lady."

Emily stared at him a moment before giving him a sour smile. She didn't object when he took the chair next to her.

"No, I can't lie for crap. I just don't sleep well."

Ray frowned. That was news to him. Then he thought back to all the times he'd caught her sitting at her desk asleep or at the kitchen table studying way too late at night. He focused again on his sister, wondering what else she would reveal when she thought he wasn't listening.

"I haven't had a night like this in a long while though. Not since…"

She paused and blew out a breath, giving Neela's father a hard look.

"You have to understand, Mr. Rasgotra, that this is hard as hell for Ray and I to deal with."

Neela's father frowned in confusion.

"What is hard?"

"You. Priya. Parents in general." She looked away, watching her hands as they plucked at the blanket in her lap. "Our parents aren't…"

"Your parents live?" the man asked in surprise. "I assumed…"

"That they were dead?" she finished for him with a bitter laugh. "I wish. Our father is a certifiable nightmare. And our mother didn't care what he did just so long as it wasn't her that was on the receiving end of his fists."

Ray almost heard the gulp as the man swallowed back his horror. He felt his chest tighten at the bitterness in her voice. It broke his heart that she was only fourteen and so jaded. He took a step from the shadows, but stepped back again. He could have stopped her from saying any more, but couldn't bring himself to do so. It was the first time to his knowledge that she'd spoken to anyone about what had happened to her, to them both. It hurt a little that she didn't confide in him, but he wasn't about to be selfish. She was moving forward if she could talk about it at all. He listened, his eyes closed as she told Neela's father about what had brought her to Chicago. When she had finished, she took a deep breath and looked the man right in the eye.

"Neela is the only person, other than me, that has ever loved Ray for who he is. And Ray would sooner die than to hurt her. He would do anything to make her happy." She paused, and Ray held his breath, waiting for her next words. Neela's father seemed just as mesmerized by her as Ray felt. His throat tightened to the point of pain. When was it that his baby sister had grown up? It had come too quickly, and he could do nothing but blame himself.

"What I wonder, Mr. Rasgotra, is why you would come here and try to destroy that."

Neela's father opened his mouth but snapped it shut just as quickly. He glanced around the apartment as if seeing everything for the first time. His gaze came to rest on the large picture of Ray, Neela and Emily and he nodded slowly, as if coming to an important decision. He finally turned and gave Emily a tight-lipped smile.

"You are a very astute young woman," he said quietly.

Emily searched his face for a long moment.

"Thank you," she said finally, almost cautiously.

"I'll not disturb you further, little one," he said, rising to his feet.

She cocked her head to the side, studying him.

"Have we resolved anything or have I made things worse?" she asked suddenly.

He smiled, and Ray held his breath. It was Neela's smile, and the first genuine one he'd seen from the man.

"Worry not, Miss Barnett. I'll think very carefully about what you've said."

She raised an eyebrow as if she believed he was feeding her a line of bullshit before she nodded.

"Good night, then," she said as he left the room.

Ray pulled back further into the shadows, hoping he wouldn't be seen. He didn't want Neela's father to know that he'd been listening to their conversation, but the man stopped and turned a gimlet glare on him.

"No need to hide, Doctor."

Ray sighed and offered a small smile.

"I didn't want to interrupt her," he said softly. "She never talks about that. To anyone."

Rasgotra nodded.

"So I suspected," he sighed. He looked back toward the living room where Emily settled back on the couch. "She is a treasure, your sister."

Ray swallowed hard, and nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Neela's father sighed heavily and looked back at Ray.

"It is hard for a father to admit that his daughter no longer needs him," he said.

Ray frowned, knowing that he was no longer talking about Emily.

"Neela needs you," Ray told him. "She needs your support." He smiled. "And I would like our child to know his or her grandparents."

Ajay winced.

"A grandfather," he said. "You would think that I would be wiser."

Ray kept from laughing as the man left him to return to Emily's room.

"Good night, Dr. Barnett."

Ray murmured the words back before the door closed behind him. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes, wondering if this would be the end of it. He suddenly felt tired. Totally and utterly exhausted. He didn't know how long he stood there, trying to absorb what had happened. Finally, he remembered why he'd left the bedroom in the first place and pushed away from the wall. His thoughts filled with all he'd heard and seen; he made his way to the kitchen, hoping there was at least one beer left.

He suddenly needed one very badly.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi, everyone! We know it's been a while since we've updated. And we also know that we promised to try to do better about that...SORRY! One of us has too many projects she's juggling at the moment. (bad Erin) We will try to do better from now on...As always, we do welcome your comments and suggestions. We love the feedback we get from all of you...So, without further boring you with drivel...Chapter seven!_

_Yours,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

7

When Neela caught sight of herself and Abby in the mirror, she considered laughing. It was a fleeting urge however considering the circumstances. The two of them were sitting on a tiny settee that barely held them. Both were leaning toward the arms of the sad excuse for furniture with their chins in their hands looking as if they would rather be anywhere else but where they were.

As things stood, that was exactly the thought that was going through Neela's head.

The boutique catered to wedding attire of every nationality. It was one of those specialty shops that her mother seemed to thrive on, but Neela was ready to tear her hair out from frustration. Though Priya loved places like this, Emily didn't seem to share her interest.

Which was why they were stuck there.

"It's kind of like a train wreck isn't it?" Abby asked, sliding her hand to the side of her head as she turned to look at Neela.

"How do you mean?" Neela asked, her tone one of utter weariness.

"First you're horrified, then kind of fascinated, then absolutely hypnotized by the shock of it."

Neela gave an un-ladylike snort and turned her attention back to the dressing room curtain where her mother stood with seemingly infinite patience.

"All I know is that this whole shopping trip is starting to become tiresome."

"We passed tiresome about an hour ago," Abby said through a yawn. "Now it's just painful."

Neela couldn't agree more. She turned her head back toward the dressing room at the sound the curtain being pulled back. The hope that the girl had finally found something she liked died a horrible death at the look on her face. Neela sighed as her mother calmly nodded and shoved another bundle of silk into Emily's hands and steered her back into the dressing room. With a dramatic roll of her eyes, Emily went, holding tight to the peacock blue silk.

Neela had lost count the number of saris Emily had tried on and rejected for one reason or another. It had taken Abby a total of twenty minutes to make her choice, a beautiful deep green with gold embroidery. Emily, however, was on a mission. A mission whose sole objective seemed aimed at determining who would lose their mind first, Neela, Abby, or Priya. Neela was about to win first prize.

What she couldn't believe was her mother and the never-ending tolerance she was displaying. Neela could not comprehend how the woman could just stand there and calmly hand the teenager garment after garment without batting an eyelash. She forced a smile as Priya crossed the dressing area to take the seat beside Neela.

"I am ashamed to say this, but that girl is about to drive me mad," her mother said under her breath, shattering the illusion. Neela burst out laughing, earning a cool glare. "And you find that amusing?"

"I'm sorry, but I warned you. Emily may act like an adult most of the time, but when it comes to shopping, she's pure adolescent."

Priya sighed, leaning back in the chair.

"I don't remember ever having this much trouble with you or your sisters," she said.

"Because we were terrified of you," Neela blurted out, and bit her lip when her mother just smiled.

"And that child fears nothing," she said, gesturing toward the dressing room.

Neela knew better, but said nothing. There were few things that Emily feared, but her father was one of them. That however wasn't something that would make her move any faster during clothes shopping. Neela doubted that anything short of a nuclear attack would make Emily move faster while shopping for clothes.

"We're going to have to leave soon," Abby said, standing up and shaking her feet to restore circulation. "I'm starving." She shot Neela a stern look. "And if I'm starving, then I know you are. Ray will kill me if I let you pass out again."

"Ray is a royal pain in my arse," Neela said under her breath, but she smiled. He had done nothing in the week following her fainting spell but follow her around just to be sure she was all right. Though she complained about it, it was good-natured complaining. His behavior only showed her just how much he loved her. Now if she could just find a way to make him be that attentive to where the clothes hamper was.

The scrape of metal drew her attention as Emily stepped almost triumphantly from the dressing room. Neela scanned her face for a moment and sighed with relief. Apparently, two hundred was the magic number as she proudly displayed the peacock blue sari. Priya rose from her seat and adjusted the folds before standing back to nod with approval.

"You are beautiful," she said decisively, and Emily grinned, bouncing up and down with excitement. She turned to Neela and spun around.

"How do I look?" she asked. Neela forced a smile.

"Wonderful," she said, hoping she sounded as if she'd not spent an entire afternoon sitting on a glorified cot. Emily clapped her hands as Abby told her the same thing before retreating back to the dressing room to change back into her clothes.

"Thank God," Abby muttered as she slumped across the arm of the settee to hide her face in her arms.

"My sentiments exactly," Neela said, blowing out a relieved breath.

"I need a drink," Priya broke in, earning startled looks from her daughter and Abby. Shrugging, she smiled. "My treat," she offered as the two of them began to laugh.

000000

"Ray!" Sam called, poking her head into Exam One. "You've got a visitor."

Ray raised his head with a frown, pulling the stethoscope from his ears.

"Who is it?" he asked distractedly. He thought he heard diminished breath sounds on the right side. Pneumonia? He turned to the kid's mother who hovered over his shoulder like the angel of nervousness.

"I think it's Neela's dad," Sam hissed, as if her voice would carry into the reception area.

That caught Ray's full attention and he snapped his head around in surprise.

"What?"

"I think it's her dad," she repeated with an impish grin. "Better get out here."

She ducked out of the room, laughing at his scowl of annoyance. Ray took a deep breath and forced a smile for the kid's mother. As quickly as he could, he explained what tests they were going to run and got the hell out of there.

As he made his way to reception, he scanned the area for Neela's father. He wasn't hard to find. He was the only spot of stillness in the milling bodies that made up the ER. Sam was standing there talking to him as if she didn't have anything better to do.

"Hi," Ray said as he approached, unsure of what else to say. The last thing he'd expected was for Neela's father to show up at work to see him. To cover his unease, he turned to Sam and handed the chart to her.

"The kid in One needs a chest x-ray," he said. "If you could call up and see what the wait is…"

"Sure," she said, tucking the chart under her arm. She gave Neela's father a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Rasgotra," she said as she wove her way to the desk…leaving Ray alone with his future father-in-law.

He smiled nervously. After Emily had given the man a verbal sit-down, and the subsequent exchange with Ray in the hallway, they had come to an uneasy truce, but they were far from friendly. Ray couldn't fathom why the man would seek him out after all that had happened. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and cleared his throat.

"Can I…Is there something wrong?" Ray asked, his mind suddenly worried. It had only been a week since Neela's fainting spell, but he was still worried about her. "Is Neela all right?" he asked sharply. If something was wrong and they hadn't brought her here…

"She and Priya are still shopping with Dr. Lockhart," Ajay said in his controlled voice. For a moment, Ray almost thought his face was carved of mahogany it was so still. Then he gave a completely male gesture of disgust. "My wife loves her shopping."

Ray burst out laughing in spite of himself.

"Lucky for me, only Emily loves to shop," he offered. "If it was both of them, we would likely be broke."

Ajay nodded.

"She knows the value of things, my Neela," he said, and Ray narrowed his eyes, sensing a double meaning there. He searched the man's face for a long moment.

"Why don't you come to the doctor's lounge for some coffee?" he said finally.

At the man's nod, he turned and led the way to the lounge. He poured the coffee into Styrofoam cups, adding enough sugar to his to choke a horse.

"Cream? Sugar?" he asked.

"Black."

He handed the cup to Neela's father and sat down on the arm of the sofa.

"It's crap, but it's all we have. Someone let our Chief Resident make it this morning," he said when the man grimaced on the first taste. There was a long silence as Ray waited for him to speak. When nothing happened, Ray raised an eyebrow.

"Was there something you needed, Mr. Rasgotra?" he asked.

Ajay sighed and paced away, staring down at his cup.

"It is very hard for me to accept all of this, Dr. Barnett. I always had a clear idea of the direction that Neela would take her life. She went to University and then to medical school as planned. From there she has become…she has not done what I believed she would do, and it has left me confused."

Ray frowned, spinning his cup in his hands, letting the heat warm his suddenly cold hands.

"Why is that?" he asked in bewilderment.

Ajay turned to look at him, and Ray suddenly saw where he was going with this. He could see the pain and fear in the man's eyes and looked away.

"She was to come to America to intern, to learn, and then she was to return to England. She did not, choosing instead to remain here. She was to go into surgery. Instead, she seems to have made emergency medicine her choice." He paused, grimacing as he took another drink of what passed for coffee in this hospital before he turned his sharp eyed gaze on Ray. "And she was not going to marry and have children for years yet."

Ray sighed, his head down as the full impact of what the man was truly feeling swept over him. He wondered for one panicked moment if this was how it would be when his children were adults. Would he try to control the direction their lives took? He shook his head imperceptibly. No. He knew damn well what happened when that parents tried to manipulate their children's lives. This scenario. Confused father, wondering what the hell happened to all the years. A scared or defiant kid who tried to prove well into adulthood that they were in charge. It wasn't going to happen.

"Neela is a grown up," he said as calmly as he could. "She makes her own choices, her own decisions. She didn't do any of it to hurt you."

Ajay sighed and looked at him with something akin to sarcasm.

"And you defied your own father in order to be happy?" he asked, and Ray smiled.

"Every step of the way," he said with complete honesty. "Though my situation is much different."

Neela's father nodded thoughtfully.

"So your sister said." He gave Ray a piercing look. "I just want her taken care of, Dr. Barnett. That is the only reason I do and say these things. I just want her to be happy in her life."

Ray smiled, breathing in relief.

"That I can do," he said firmly.

The man sighed.

"I wanted to despise you," he said tiredly. "But I cannot. You may not be the sort of man I would have chosen for her, but she has made a good choice."

Ray swallowed back the bitter retort, not certain if he'd just been complimented or insulted. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just let it go for the sake of peace, and held out his hand.

"Truce, then?"

Ajay paused a moment before taking his hand in a short handshake.

"Agreed," he said tersely.

"Well, what have we here?"

Ray turned and suppressed a groan at the sight of Brett's head poking through the slightly open door. He would have to come now and make a scene.

"What are you doing here?" Ray asked him as he sauntered into the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Neela's father assessed the newcomer, and tried to see Brett through his eyes. His dark hair was shaggy and fell over his forehead, ears and collar in uneven lengths. A streak of blond cut a swath through his bangs and was streaked throughout the rest of his hair. His clothes were what they always were; a green fatigue jacket with the patches ripped off, hooded sweatshirt underneath. His jeans had seen better days and had holes all over them. His shoes on this particular day were black canvas Converse high-tops, the laces as dirty as they could possibly get and still be considered white. He looked like normal Brett.

"Just wanted to see if you had time for a little pre-gig practice after your shift," he said. "We play tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but…" He glanced at Neela's father who was looking Brett up and down as if he'd never seen anything like him before. Ray stiffened a little. He could think whatever he wanted about Ray, but he'd be damned if her father would look down on his friend. "This is their last night in Chicago," he said indicating the man beside him. "I think Neela wanted to do something special."

Brett glanced at Ajay and grinned. Without hesitation, he stuck out his hand.

"We didn't get a chance to meet the other day," he said. "I'm Brett."

Ajay reluctantly took his hand and shook.

"Ajay Rasgotra," he said after a short hesitation. "Are you a brother?"

Brett laughed.

"Of a sort. I'm a musician."

Suddenly, Neela's father smiled, and Ray could only stare in shock. It was the first time the man had given a spontaneous smile in the week he'd been here. Ray glanced at Brett and could only be thankful. As much as he was a pain on occasion, Brett had a way with people that defied the imagination. Ray thought that it came from Brett's absolute refusal to be anything other than what he was.

"Then I see the resemblance," Ajay said, shocking Ray further by making a joke. A bad one, but it was a joke nonetheless.

"So, did the two of you kiss and make up?" Brett asked as if nothing untoward had just happened.

"Jesus, Brett," Ray muttered under his breath.

"We came to an accord," Ajay conceded.

Brett clapped his hands together.

"This calls for a celebration then. Drinks are on me."

Ray rolled his eyes.

"I have a shift to finish, in case you didn't notice. And I doubt that Neela's father will want to go bar hopping. Especially not at the bars that we generally like."

"Come on, Barnett. You still need a bachelor party, and it wouldn't be right if your father-in-law wasn't included." He turned to Ajay and raised his eyebrows. "What do you say, Mr. Rasgotra? You wanna go have a few drinks with us? Kind of a pre-bachelor party bachelor party?"

Ray rolled his eyes.

"Brett, I can't just leave…"

Carter walked in and pulled up short at the sight of the three of them. He gave Ray a faint smile before heading toward the coffee pot.

"Something I should know about, Barnett?"

Ray scowled at Brett, who grinned as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, as Ray introduced the attending to Neela's father. Carter cocked an eyebrow in amusement before shaking Ajay's hand.

"It's good to meet you, sir. Your daughter is one of the best doctors I have."

Ajay nodded, and almost imperceptibly stood a little taller. Of course, Brett took that opportunity to jump in.

"You don't mind if Ray leaves a little early today do ya, Doc? We're going to go have a few drinks with Mr. Rasgotra here."

Carter glanced at Ray for a long moment.

"How many patients are you handling right now?"

Ray sighed, wishing it were more than the two he'd caught, but the ER wasn't exactly hopping today. There were just enough patients in the waiting room to keep the doctors occupied but other than that...

"Two," he said reluctantly. "A kid with possible pneumonia and the guy that had his foot run over by a cab. I'm waiting on x-ray to open up for both of them."

"Don't worry about it then," Carter said, obviously amused by Ray's dilemma. "Go ahead and leave, I'll take care of them."

"Carter…"

"You heard the man, Ray. Get out while you can," Brett said to his friend. He turned to Carter. "Thanks, Doc. Just for that, you're invited to the bachelor party."

Carter struggled with his smile as Brett all but dragged Neela's father from the room, all the while keeping up a string of commentary on the best bars in the city. Ray looked at Carter in appeal.

"This is not a good idea," he half growled, earning laughter from Carter.

"You asked for it. Besides, how often will you have a chance to get to know her father like this? Not to mention, it'll give him a chance to see that, as bad as you may seem, you aren't Brett."

Ray stared at him incredulously for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"Very true," he laughed. Brett was like a brother to him, but he had the annoying habit of getting him into trouble. He usually found a way to get him out of the same trouble, but that was beside the point. "Thanks, Carter."

John took a sip of his coffee with a grimace.

"No problem. But go easy on the man, ok? Someday you might be in the same situation."

Ray cringed inwardly as he left the lounge and headed for the locker room.

"Please, please, let us have a boy," he muttered under his breath as he retrieved his things and went to save Neela's father from his best friend.


	8. Chapter 8

_We want to thank everyone for all their comments for this story! We really appreciate the feedback we get, and love to hear that you like what we've done. We hope that you will continue to do so as we go along. :) But for now, we give you Chapter Eight..._

_Yours,_

_butterflyswest and Erin Allen_

8

Neela glanced at her watch for the hundredth time and compared it with the clock above the television, hoping that the watch was wrong. Yet again, she found that both were sound and in good working order. Which was more than she could say for Ray when he came home.

"Where is your father?" her mother said pacing from the kitchen with her—seventh? Or was it eighth—cup of tea. Neela wrinkled her nose when she passed wondering if her mother would be in any condition to do much of anything when the two of them finally arrived. The "tea" smelled just a little strong for her taste.

"I don't know, Mother," Neela repeated yet again. All her mother had been able to say for the past two hours was 'Where is your father?' or some combination of the same phrase, as if Neela had some insight into her father's whereabouts. She somehow refrained from asking, "Am I my father's keeper?" as her mother sank into the seat across the room.

Emily strolled into the living room but stopped dead when they both turned to look at her. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them, and she took a step back.

"What? I didn't do it."

Neela sighed heavily at her patented answer for nearly everything.

"Your brother didn't say anything about going somewhere after shift did he?" she asked the girl.

Emily's brow creased and she cocked her head seeming to think about it for a moment before shaking her head.

"Nope. Actually, he was talking about coming home early…and I'll just shut up now," she muttered the last when Neela's expression went stormy. "I'll just be in my room. Being quiet," she said, turning on her heel. She loved Neela, but pregnant pissed off Neela was more than she wanted to tackle on her own. At any other time, Neela would have laughed about her abrupt exit. It wasn't often that the girl ran from confrontation, but right then, she wasn't in the mood to laugh at anything. She was too worried about her fiancée and her father.

Neela stood and crossed the room to snatch the phone off the wall, punching angrily at the buttons. She ignored her mother's questions as she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to the ring from the other end.

"County General," Jerry's voice said.

Neela took a deep breath before she began. This was between Ray and her. There was no reason to bring Jerry into it.

"Hello, Jerry," she said as pleasantly as she could. "This is Neela. I was wondering if Ray was there by any chance."

There was a long pause.

"He left hours ago," Jerry said. "Dr. Carter told him he could go."

Neela frowned.

"May I speak with Dr. Carter?" she said, only just managing to keep from sounding shrill.

"Sure. Hang on."

Neela waited, listening to the canned music with annoyance. Why was it that they played this maddening music when someone was on hold? As if the person wouldn't be irritated to be put on hold in the first…

"Dr. Carter."

"Carter!" Neela answered quickly. "This is Neela. I was just looking for Ray, but Jerry said that he was already gone."

There was a thundering silence from the other end of the line, and Neela felt her heart speed up.

"Carter?"

"Ah…I…yes. I let him leave at noon. We were slow…"

Neela glanced at her watch as if she could change the time by sheer force of will.

"It's nearly six, John," she said tightly, trying to keep the worry from her voice. Even so, she was sure that Carter knew exactly what she was thinking.

"I know," he said with a sigh. "Listen. Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine…"

"How can you be so sure? What if…"

Carter blew out a breath.

"He's with your father, Neela."

Neela paused, glancing at her mother who was watching her expectantly. She turned her back on that look. Not only did she not want her mother to see her face, but she wanted to ask her next question without being overheard.

"What aren't you telling me?" she asked softly.

There was a curious sound of laughter and she felt her temper rise. This may be funny to the head attending, but she wasn't the least bit amused.

"I'm glad you find this funny," she snapped before she could stop herself.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, his voice still unsteady with laughter. "Your father was here earlier. Then Brett showed up…"

Neela sucked in a breath.

"Brett," she said dangerously, nearly growling the name. "Why am I not surprised to hear that name in this?" Her head snapped up to glare at the door as the sound of muffled singing reached her ears. "Thank you, Carter. I think I just found them."

She hung up on his shaky goodbye, and crossed her arms over her chest to face the door.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked.

"Waiting."

Something thumped against the door and was followed by a grunt and the sound of male laughter. Neela recognized Ray's laugh and Brett's guffaws. But when a third voice joined them, she felt her mouth drop open in amazement. She hadn't heard her father laugh like that in years. She could barely believe that it could be him, but when the door swung open to bang against the wall, she couldn't help but gasp and jump back as all three of them fell through the doorway.

"What the bloody hell…!" she began staring at the pile up in her living room. Ray groaned and rolled onto his back to stare with intense concentration at the ceiling. Her father just lay where he fell, his arms pillowing his head as he breathed in slowly and steadily. Neela barely registered Emily's appearance until the girl began to laugh behind her. She gave Ray's sister a hard look that did nothing to quell her mirth before turning back around.

Brett recovered quickly, disentangling himself to pop to his feet and give her his 'charming' smile. He made a face at Emily and started backing toward the door.

"Here they are. Home safe and sound," he said turning around to head for the door. "I'll just get out of your way and see you tomorrow…"

"Stop right where you are," Neela called out sharply, tearing her eyes from the two idiots on the floor to focus on his retreating back. "You make one move toward that door, and so help me…"

She left the threat hanging, but Brett was smart enough to know the tone when he heard it. His head ducked in toward his shoulders as he slowly turned back around to face her. He glanced at Emily and scowled at her when she silently formed the words, "You are in deep shit." If the twinkle in her blue eyes was any indication, she was enjoying this far too much.

"Perhaps you can explain this?" Neela asked him, waving her hand toward her feet and raising an eyebrow.

He opened his mouth but shut it again with a snap. He looked down at the two figures on the floor and grimaced. Ray was attempting to get to his knees, but wasn't making much progress. Her father simply lay there like a slug occasionally making small snoring sounds. He looked back up at Neela and smiled reassuringly. The smile faded when her expression didn't change.

"Oo-kay. See…the thing is…"

"Yes?"

He shrank inwardly at her tone. Damn. All he'd wanted was to help Ray out. The tension that had followed the man around for the past week was more than even he could take. He'd known the source, but had not been able to change a damn thing. It wasn't like he could swoop in and make things right with Neela's family. But when it had seemed that Ray and her father were at least coming to some sort of understanding, it had seemed like the right thing to do to at least give them the chance to get to know each other without any interference.

But now, faced with Neela's wrath and her mother's equally indignant expression, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd made just the teeniest of mistakes.

"It seemed like a good idea…" he began but shut up quickly when her face turned to stone.

"Well?" she said when he didn't continue. "I'm waiting."

"I…"

"You what? Please, don't stop there. You were almost on a roll."

Brett winced.

"Okay, maybe I deserved that."

"Maybe?"

"Listen, I was only trying to get them to loosen up a little. Talk things out."

"Brett, they are too sotted to understand English right now much less…"

She paused, closed her eyes and blew out a breath, struggling with her temper. As misguided as his attempt was, Brett had only been trying to help. As much as he grated on her nerves, as much as he acted like an overgrown child, he had been nothing but a good friend to Ray…and to her. She wasn't going to tear him to shreds right now.

She'd save that for later.

"Just get Ray to bed," she said finally, opening her eyes to glare at him. "I will deal with you later."

Brett opened his mouth to say that it wasn't his fault they were this drunk, but changed his mind. It would have been a lie anyway. An extra tip to the bartender at every round had added just a little more alcohol to every drink. He shrugged. Ah, well. It had been worth it. By the time he'd finally gotten them out of the bar, they had been laughing it up like old friends. He didn't hold out hope that it would always be that way, but it was a start. He leaned down and hauled Ray to his feet, though the man was half passed out.

"Where we going?"

Brett managed to keep from laughing at the look on Neela's face at that excuse for a question. It had almost been recognizable as words.

"Bed, buddy. Party's over."

Ray blinked, finally realizing where he was and what he was doing here. His hazy gaze came to rest on Neela, and he smiled.

"Hey, babe. I'm sorry we're late."

Neela stared at him a moment before glancing down at her father. She had never seen the man drunk. Never. She didn't have the slightest idea what had come over the two of them, but it seemed that they had come to some sort of truce in the hours they'd been together. For that alone, she could forgive them all…well, perhaps not Brett yet, but she could try. She held in her rueful smile and turned back to her fiancée.

"Just sleep it off, Ray," she said sternly. "We'll talk about this later."

He sighed as Brett started toward their room.

"I'm in deep shit," he muttered to his friend, and Brett laughed.

"You could say that, yeah."

Their voices faded as they entered the bedroom.

"You should have left him where he fell," her mother remarked as she prodded her husband rather ungently with her toe. "That's what I'm doing."

Neela gaped.

"You must be joking."

Priya shook her head, her face screwed up in a purely female moue of disgust.

"Of course not. I won't have him in the room with me, and we'll not make Emily give up the sofa for him. He can sleep on the floor."

Emily doubled up laughing.

"I so like your mother, Neela," she snickered. "And she's right. You should have let 'em sleep where they fell."

Brett came out of the bedroom then, staring at Emily in mock horror.

"That's cold, brat."

"Yeah. I know," she said smugly.

He shook his head and turned to Neela.

"So can I get out of here now, or do you want me to move your dad too?"

"Leave him," Priya said. She turned her implacable gaze on Brett. "And for all your 'help' you can stay here while we go to dinner."

"What?" he exclaimed. "I can't. I have…Okay, I have to stay here and make sure no one pukes on the rugs. Gotcha."

Priya nodded, settling the matter, and Neela had to swallow a howl of laughter at the totally nonplussed look on Brett's face. She couldn't have done that better herself.

"Emily, get your jacket," her mother continued, ignoring Brett's sullen look. As Emily ran to obey, shoving Brett as she passed, Priya sighed and retrieved a blanket from the sofa and threw it over her husband.

"Are you sure you want to leave him there?" Neela asked, retrieving her jacket from the peg on the wall.

Priya nodded and snatched her bag from the counter.

"He's had his fun. Now, I'm having mine." She gave her daughter a grim smile. "And I'll have more tomorrow morning when he wakes up."

Brett cringed as he watched the three women leave, slamming the door behind them. Ajay didn't so much as move at the loud noise. Brett glanced around and sighed heavily. _Well, at least they didn't kill me,_ he thought as he went in search of a bucket to take in to Ray. It was going to be a long night.

000000

Ray was aware of only three things when he woke. An insanely loud banging, pain, and the fact that he didn't know where the hell he was. He groaned and rolled over on the soft surface he rested on, holding on grimly to the contents of his stomach. He pried his eyes open, hoping that he was somewhere familiar, and blew out a breath of relief when he saw the bedroom that he and Neela shared. He'd gotten home somehow, that much was certain. And since he wasn't lying in the hallway, he was fairly sure that Neela hadn't kicked him out. Not yet anyway.

He swallowed hard and slowly pushed himself up on his elbows. The room around him swam through a haze of pain from the pounding in his head. He slitted his eyes against the harsh sunlight filtering through the blinds on the window and glanced at Neela's side of the bed. She'd apparently slept there by the rumpled sheets, but she had been gone for quite some time. The place where she'd been was cold when he touched it.

Ray sighed, rubbing one hand over his face. He slowly swung his legs out of bed and simply sat there with his head in his hands. The throbbing between his temples was growing by the minute to encompass his entire body. His back hurt. His eyes felt as if they'd been flayed open with sandpaper. Hell, even his hair hurt if that was possible. He wasn't sure anymore. But the worst was his stomach. He felt as if a hot leaden stone was lying just below his ribcage and was threatening to come up. Ray closed his eyes, willing his stomach to stay where it was, just until he could find a bathroom and some pain meds. In that order.

When he thought he had a handle on himself, he pushed slowly to his feet and simply stood swaying until the nausea receded again. He winced as another round of banging pierced his brain, threatening to split it open like rotten fruit. He tried to remember where he'd been, what he'd done, but it was all a blank, erased by the thudding in his head, and the painful banging coming from the living room.

Ray padded slowly to the door, feeling like an invalid, and placed his hand on the knob. He quickly looked down at himself, just to make sure he hadn't pulled a Nick and gone _au naturale _the night before. That would be good. Flashing the in-laws would be really excellent for future relations. He heaved a sigh of relief to find that he was clothed. They were the same ones he'd worn the day before, but he was decent. At least satisfied with that, he opened the door.

The banging noise was infinitely louder without the door to muffle it, and it drove a spike of pain deep into his head. Ray pressed his palms to his temples and tried to focus on the source of the noise so he could kill it.

"Well, look what the cat coughed up," his sister said from the kitchen as she stirred something in a bowl. She raised an eyebrow at his glare. "What? Is the baby not feewing good?"

Ray's lip curled in a half snarl as his gaze passed from her to Neela's mother…the source of the noise. She was standing at the stove, pulling every pot and pan they owned from the cupboard above the appliance, banging them on the stove and setting them back up again on the pretense of searching for the right one. Even as Ray watched, she turned with two in her hands and forcefully struck them together, glaring all the while at a huddled figure at the table. Ray suppressed a groan at the sight of Neela's father, his head cradled in his hands, his eyes stubbornly held closed in either pain or irritation. In the end, it didn't matter what the reason was. The man looked as miserable as Ray felt.

"Where's Neela?" he managed to ask over the noise as he trudged toward them. _Coffee, _he thought. _Please let there be coffee._

"Brett took her to the market," Priya said with disdain, slamming a skillet on the stove with enough force to rattle the refrigerator. "It was the least he could do after his shameful behavior."

Ray paused, staring at her blankly for a long moment, trying to decipher her words. He leaned back against the counter, placing one hand on the top to steady him. Brett. He closed his eyes, wondering if killing his friend would be too lenient. Bits and pieces of the night before flashed behind his eyes, making him cringe. Singing karaoke at some little bar on Fifth. Neela's father downing shooters like they were water. And Brett…Brett bringing drink after drink…

"I'm going to kill him," he muttered under his breath, the pain in his head winding up another notch.

"Stand in line," Emily said loudly. Ray winced. His sister's voice was almost as bad as the pots and pans. "I really think Neela wants that responsibility. What you should be worrying about is whether or not you'll live through the day."

Ray glared at her, wondering if he could get self-defense if he killed her. She grinned before sticking out her tongue and turning her back on him. Ray felt his hands curl into claws before he got a handle on himself. He swung around, looking for the coffee pot and finding it empty. He bit back a curse and set about filling the contraption.

Priya banged another skillet onto the stove, and Ajay finally stirred himself to glare at her.

"It is not necessary to make that much noise, Priya!" he said sharply.

She turned around to regard him with a coolly indifferent expression, and he blanched, settling his head in his hands again. Ray clenched his jaw trying to stay out of it, though he wholeheartedly agreed with the man. God save them all from the women in this house.

The coffee was finally brewing when Brett and Neela returned from the market. Ray had settled at the table across from Neela's father in an almost identical pose of agonized misery. He flinched at the sound of Brett's voice as it echoed sickeningly through his head.

"Brat! You're cooking? Who's got the fire extinguisher?"

"Bite me, Brett," his sister muttered.

"Emily, for the love of…" Ray began, but shut his mouth quickly. He was in no mood to get into it with his sister over her language at the moment. He had bigger problems to deal with.

"Ray! You're alive!"

Ignoring his friend, Ray rose slowly from the table to face what he knew was coming. Neela was bound to be pissed after he had ruined her last night with her parents. It was inevitable, and he dreaded the disappointment he knew he would see in her eyes. He turned to look at her guiltily.

She was beautiful. In the past month, her pregnancy had left her with a healthy glow that set his heart to racing every time he saw her. Now, with her hair pulled back from her face, and her cheeks reddened from the spring wind, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Neela, I…"

He broke off, wishing that "I'm sorry" didn't sound so pathetically inadequate. So he just stood there, hoping that she could see in his eyes the remorse he felt. She scanned his face for a moment before offering a small smile and shaking her head.

"You look like crap," she said bluntly, and he heaved an inward sigh.

"Yeah. I feel like it."

"Maybe if you eat, you'll feel better," Emily said, holding the bowl in her hands almost directly under his nose. "You want eggs? Sunny side up with the whites kind of looking like snot. Bacon with the grease just dripping off it and curdling on the plate…"

Just the thought of food was enough to get his stomach rolling, but Emily's vivid description sent him over the edge. With a harsh glare at her, he stumbled off toward the bathroom. He vaguely heard Neela berating the girl for what she'd said and her mother telling her to leave Emily alone before he lost it. Then there was nothing else but wishing he would just die and get it over with. Finally when he was done, he just leaned back against the tub with his eyes closed, letting the cool from the linoleum seep into his body.

Someone thrust a wet washcloth into his hand and he opened his eyes to find Neela standing there, smirking at him.

"Feel better?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

He shook his head, wiping his face with her offering.

"It serves you right," she said with a laugh as she settled next to him on the rim of the tub. "I don't know what you were thinking going out like that."

He shrugged. At the moment, he didn't know either.

"Brett made it all sound so reasonable," he said with a grimace. "And I didn't think I drank any more than I usually do."

She tsked and ran her hand through his hair gently massaging the scalp with her nails. Ray moaned softly and leaned into her touch.

"And there is that name again," she said in mock disgust. "He's getting his for the part he played in this. He'll be driving us to the airport later."

Ray laughed softly and bent his neck to look up at her.

"And what price am I going to have to pay for this?" he asked, grinning at the mischief in her eyes.

"We'll quibble over that at another time," she said with a smile. "Get yourself together and face the music," she said as another pan banged on the stove and her father cursed. She glanced down at him again. "Must you upset everything you come into contact with?"

"Apparently," he said with a wince as his sister's laughter tore through him.

"Hey, Neela? Can your mom adopt me?" Emily called from the kitchen.

They looked at each other and Neela began to laugh.

"She won't live long enough to be adopted if she doesn't cut it out," Ray growled. "I swear she's trying to kill me."

Neela rose to her feet and leaned over to kiss him on the top of the head.

"I'll get your coffee," she said and left the room, casting one amused look in his direction before she disappeared.

Ray sat there a moment, gathering himself together to endure the rest of the day. He didn't doubt for a minute that he would be let off this easily. There was sure to be more in store for him after they saw her parents off. He ground his teeth and pushed to his feet. Brett, he would deal with himself.

Paybacks were a bitch.


End file.
